Romance/Sexuality in Older age Flashcards
Why are romantic relationships important in older age? Cite sources.
Relationships grant emotional closeness and intimacy with one’s partner, which can in turn, reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms (Mancini & Bonanno, 2006).
This is especially important in older age, as social circles lessen, and physical health worsens (Cutrona, 1996).
How do relationships/marriages change over the years? Cite sources.
The Upswing Hypothesis (Anderson et al., 1983) explains how relationships/marriages level of satisfaction change over the course of time.
the level of satisfaction is at its highest in the early years, before children.
When children are born and careers are being established, couples’ satisfaction dips:
- perhaps due to the lack of time spent together, fairness between child rearing, or other stressors that can negatively impact the relationship.
Once the children leave, there is an increase in satisfaction (the ‘upswing’), though, its not as high as it was in the beginning.
What are some limitations to the Upswing Hypothesis? Cite the source.
Anderson et al. (1983)
- Data was cross-sectional, meaning results gathered were taken at a specific point in one’s marriage: results may not capture marriage over a period of time.
- All marriages are different and factors influencing satisfaction can differ, especially across cultures or religions where other needs may be prioritised.
- Older couples could represent a subgroup as they were married for a longer period of time, meaning they have established more effective ways of communication and coping strategies that helped overcome challenges which could separate or divorce other couples.
How values are important to marital satisfaction across ages? Cite sources.
Reedy et al. (1981)
Marital satisfaction differs across age groups:
- Older people: Value emotional security and loyalty.
- Younger people: Value communication.
What are predictors of a happy marriage?
Homogamy:
- Being interested in the same things, such as hobbies, likes or dislikes. As well as sharing the same beliefs, goals, values, etc.
Equality: ‘Exchange Theory’.
- Each partner contributes the same amount to the relationship = fairness.
- However, work and/or family life can often stress this.
Being able to adapt to change is vital to happy marriages.
What is the nature of older relationships in comparison to younger/middle aged people? What does this suggest? Cite sources.
Levenson et al. (1993).
Children = highest source of stress:
- For middle aged couples, but not for older couples.
Older couples: Less potential for conflict and more potential for pleasure in all areas.
- Fewer gender differences between sources of pleasure, meaning more positive emotions all around.
This suggests that older couples tend to show less negative affect in relationships, and are able to resolve conflicts more effectively than middle aged couples.
What are the limitations of Levenson et al. (1993)? How would we overcome this?
Similarly to Anderson et al. (1983), older couples in the study represent a positively selected group that have established effective communication and strategies handling challenges, whereas middle aged couples may separate after major conflict.
To overcome this, longitudinal studies can be used to track the progression and evolution of a relationship over time, and better understand current and other predictors affecting marital satisfaction.
What are the issues of dissatisfied partners? Are there any differences between husband and wife? Cite sources.
Levenson et al. (1993)
Report greater disagreement than satisfied marriages in aresas of:
- Children.
- Finances.
- Communication.
- Friends.
- Sex life.
Wives tend to report more mental and physical problems when dissatisfied in their marriages.
- Suggesting that marriage is more positive for men than women (Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998).
What can marital satisfaction benefit?
Physical, Mental, and Cognitive health.
How does marriage affect physical and mental health? Cite sources.
- Fewer health issues (Gottman & Silver, 1999).
- Benefits blood pressure (Steptoe et al., 2000).
- Encourages healthy behaviours (Schone & Weinick, 1998), provides ‘meaning’ to life, and reduces risky behaviours (Nomaguchi & Milkie, 2003).
- Those with lower marital satisfaction have a higher rate of anxiety and depressive symptoms (Trudel et al., 2008).
Benefits one’s ife satisfaction and well-being (Levenson et al., 1993).
How does marital satisfaction affect cognition? Does this differ across husbands and wives- Why? Cite sources.
Older couples are more cognitively in tune with each other’s abilities and work better together on tasks than independently and/or with another of the same age (Dixon & Gould, 1998).
Husbands’ cognitive ability tends to affect their wives more than the other way around; as husbands’ performance on reasoning tasks relates to the wives’ performance 7 years later, but not vice versa (Gruber-Baldini et al., 1995).
- Suggests that wives possibly more attentive to husbands’ behaviours/skills?
- Could be due to older men being more dominant in marriages than their wives, which result on a stronger influence on women than men (Larson & Almeida, 1999).
What are some limitations to marital research?
- Are these really MARRIAGE benefits, and not just committed relationship benefits? What differentiates marriage and long committed relationships?
- Times are changing, and marriage is declining with higher reates of long term committed relationships instead (Manning et al., 2021).
- Research is mostly done on white, rich, straight couples. Therefore, it is not representative.
What are some negatives of a dissatisfied marriage? Cite sources.
Can lead to weakened heart, neuroendocrine, and immune function (Ewart, 1993).
Those with lower marital satisfaction have a higher rate of anxiety and depressive symptoms (Trudel et al., 2008).
Is sexuality relevant in older people? Why is it important to study? Cite sources.
Yes, because older people have similar amounts of sex as those in groups aged 18-59 (Lindau, 2007).
- People are living for longer, and entering less marriages (Manning et al., 2021), which may even suggest a potential for multiple sex partners.
- It is important to research more into this to provide education and understanding of sex for older people to understand to avoid risks: STIs, HIV, safe sex.
How do stereotypes and stigma deter sexual research into older people? Give examples of these negative behaviours, and cite sources.
Stereotypes and stigma:
Oppenheimer (2002) highlights the different types of attitudes towards sexual activity in older people, which consist of WHY people find it uncomfortable and distasteful to discuss sexual activity in older people.
- ‘Respects’ the privacy of older people.
- Ugly, socially unacceptable, ‘dirty old man’.
- Brief; ‘its just genital organs’.
Media also helps portray this- sexual desire is seen as something in the youth, that young people are desired etc, but not for older people.
- Women stop having sex after menopause.
- Sexual desire lessens with age.
- Sex is only for young people.
- Old people are unable to have sex.
