SEXUAL FEELINGS AND SEXUAL LIFE IN AN ITALIAN SAMPLE OF 335 ELDERLY 65-YEAR-OLDS TO 106-YEAR-OLDS

This study analyses various aspects of sexual interest and activity in a sample of 335 elderly people, recruited at the consulting rooms of 21 general practitioners in the town of Padua (Italy) among elderly su bjects taking part in an international, multicentric study on the qual ity of life, conducted in cooperation with the World Health Organizati on (Quality of life assessment, instrument to measure self-perceived f unctioning and well-being in the elderly. LEIPAD Project) and consider s a complete age range, including subjects of both sexes, aged between 65 and 106 years, with a view to providing a global, reliable image o f sexuality up to a very advanced age. Roughly one-third of the subjec ts in the sample reported being still interested in sex. Results of lo gistic analysis demonstrate the most important variables in maintenanc e of sexual activity; they are listed as follows: being male, married, younger and cognitively unimpaired, in addition to having a higher ed ucational level, being self-sufficient and satisfied with the present life. Educational level, age and social functioning, on the other hand , lose importance in the case of sexual interest, which remains more p resent than activity, even in very advanced age. Analyzing males and f emales separately, moreover, the absence of arthrosis, and maintenance of good social-relational functions gain predictive importance for me n, and absence of depression and anxiety for women, in relation to bot h sexual interest and activity.