Perception of the General Population About Sexual Activities in Later Life: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Abstract

Background: Cultural and societal norms could influence older age sexuality as societal sexual attitudes are shown to set the stage for how one adjusts to biological changes. Therefore, understanding cultural diversity and its association with public perception of sexuality in later life is warranted. Objectives: To explore the public’s perception of sexual activities in later life through a cross-cultural perspective to comparatively identify the elements of the people’s culture that are most associated with how the public views sex in later life. Materials and Methods: This was comparative research utilizing a cross-sectional online survey among the general population of Nigeria 79 (73.8%) and India 28 (26.1%) adults aged 18 years and above (n = 107; female = 54.2%). Data for the study were collected using an adapted questionnaire to elicit responses on the sociodemography of respondents and their perception of appropriateness, emotions, reactions, and thoughts about sexual activities among older people. Results: The findings consistently showed that what attitudes and perceptions the public/individuals have is a function of their prevailing culture as their ethnicity, nationality, and religious status mostly showed statistically significant relationships with their attitudes and perceptions (P < 0.05) showing the cultural sensitivity of human sexuality especially for older persons that are unmarried, widowed, and divorced. Conclusion: This study aligns with recent literature on the beneficial role of later-life sexuality and hereby creates awareness of the positive aspects of sexuality in later life and calls for social and medical support for the aged to access and receive sexual relations all through their later life.