A Survey Of Sexual Behavior Status Of Middle-aged And Old People And Its Influence On Mental Health
Jan 24, 2025
3 Discussion
Sexual life is an important part of a couple's life. Unlike animals, which simply have reproductive functions, human sexual life is more about satisfying physiological and psychological needs［8］. After menopause, women's ovarian function declines and the secretion of sex hormones decreases. After men reach the age of 50, the secretion of sex hormones such as testosterone also tends to decline year by year［13］. In addition, as the skeletal muscles of middle-aged and elderly people age and atrophy, their mobility is greatly reduced［14-15］. These factors will reduce the quality of sex life of middle-aged and elderly people. The results of this study suggest that the average frequency of sexual intercourse per month for middle-aged and elderly men is (1.7 ± 0.9) times, and for women is (1.6 ± 0.7) times, which is similar to that reported in the literature and is lower than that for those aged 40 years and over. The following groups of people［16-17］.
The duration of each sexual intercourse and the total score of sexual life quality among middle-aged and elderly people also decreased significantly, indicating a decline in sexual function and sexual life quality among middle-aged and elderly people. People tend to define sexual intercourse as the act of contact between sexual organs, while sexual intercourse duration is mostly considered to be the duration of sexual intercourse before ejaculation. Studies have shown that there are large individual differences in ejaculation time, which is also affected by environmental factors. The sexual behavior of middle-aged and elderly people should not be simply considered as the behavior of sexual organ contact. The touch of sexual organs and body can also promote their sexual intercourse. It produces a sense of physical and mental pleasure. Therefore, when exploring the sexual life of middle-aged and elderly people, a multi-dimensional and multi-perspective approach should be adopted [13, 16-17].
A New Herbal Cistanche Supplement For Improving Sexual Quality
In this study, the total score of sexual quality of life, sexual desire score, spouse sexual satisfaction, and orgasm frequency of male middle-aged and elderly people were significantly higher than those of females, while there were no significant differences in the duration of each sexual intercourse, sexual satisfaction, and spouse orgasm frequency between different genders. . This may be related to certain differences in physiology and psychology between the two sexes. During sexual intercourse, men usually reach orgasm marked by ejaculation, and the duration of orgasm has little effect on the achievement of orgasm, so it is relatively easy for them to obtain sexual satisfaction [13, 15-16, 18]. But there is a big difference for women. Women need a longer foreplay to get their bodies in a suitable state, such as the secretion of vaginal fluid, and it takes a certain amount of time and stimulation to achieve orgasm. If spouses do not cooperate well, it is difficult to achieve high satisfaction [13, 15-16, 18].
In this study, 13.9% and 12.5% of the middle-aged and elderly people showed symptoms of anxiety or depression. Other studies reported that up to 35.3% of the middle-aged and elderly people had adverse neurological symptoms, which suggests that the mental health of the middle-aged and elderly people is This requires special attention［14,17,19］. The sexual needs of middle-aged and elderly people are often neglected, especially those who have lost their spouse. With the progress of urbanization, communication between middle-aged and elderly people has gradually decreased. In addition, the communication between young people and their parents has become less and less, making it difficult for the psychological pressure of middle-aged and elderly people to be effectively channeled and alleviated.
In this study, the monthly frequency of sexual intercourse, duration of each sexual intercourse, total score of sexual quality of life, sexual desire score, sexual satisfaction, spouse sexual satisfaction, and spouse orgasm frequency of the middle-aged and elderly people with anxiety were significantly lower than those without anxiety. The monthly frequency of sexual life, duration of each sexual intercourse, total score of sexual quality of life, sexual satisfaction, and frequency of spouse's orgasm in the middle-aged and elderly people with depression were significantly lower than those in the non-depressed state.
This suggests that lack of sex life or reduced quality of sex life may increase the risk of psychological problems in middle-aged and elderly people. Some studies have also pointed out that there is a causal relationship between lack of sex life or reduced quality of sex and adverse psychological problems [17-18]. Healthy and appropriate sexual behavior can increase the secretion of dopamine in the nervous system, and dopamine can promote the relief of negative emotions［12, 16, 20］. Adverse psychological problems can also have a negative impact on emotion-related functions, such as inhibiting the function of the spinal erection center.
In summary, this study investigated the sexual life and mental health of 367 middle-aged and elderly people. The results showed that the occurrence of anxiety and depression was related to low frequency, short duration and low quality of sexual life. The sexual life of the elderly can be improved through popular science education and other means to promote healthy sexual behavior among middle-aged and elderly people and reduce the occurrence of adverse psychological problems.
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