... REVIEW LINDA PA McGOWAN, DAVID D. CLARK-CARTER and MARIAN K. PIITS* Division of Psychology, S... more ... REVIEW LINDA PA McGOWAN, DAVID D. CLARK-CARTER and MARIAN K. PIITS* Division of Psychology, Staffordshire University, College Road Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2DE, UK (Received 24 September, 195%; in final form 6 May, 1997) ...
Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desir... more Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desiring of sex, nor as sexually desirable to others. Broader social and cultural norms that downplay women's sexual desire and agency further compound these phenomena. Whether this popular image accurately reflects older women's sexual desires, behaviour and capacity to experience pleasure is unclear. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 43 partnered Australian women aged 55À81, this article considers women's sexual experiences and desires in older age. The findings of our research confirm that older women's experiences of sex and sexual desire are diverse and fluid. Some of the factors that influenced participants' sexual behaviour and desire will be considered in this article, as will their understandings of what "counts" as sexual satisfaction and "successful sex". The factors affecting sexual behaviour and desire also influence the way in which women are able to negotiate sexual interaction with their partners. Participants expressed a need for education and resources in order to gain greater control and to make autonomous choices over their sexual experiences, desire and ability to give and receive pleasure. The implications of these findings for practitioners are also considered.
Background: A vaccine program is underway to protect women against human papillomavirus (HPV) and... more Background: A vaccine program is underway to protect women against human papillomavirus (HPV) and thus cervical cancer. Previous studies have reported very low levels of HPV knowledge and there has been concern that preventative vaccines might not be readily accepted, given that HPV is transmitted sexually and the optimal time for vaccination is before sexual debut. Methods: A computer-assisted telephone survey was carried out with a representative sample of 1100 women aged 18 to 61 years, randomly selected from households in Victoria, Australia, to investigate knowledge and attitudes about HPV and attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Results: Half of the participants (51%) had heard of HPV; most reported learning about it from the media. Most women indicated they would trust their general practitioner (96.3%), a gynaecologist or specialist doctor (99.6%), or a women's health service (97.0%) for information about HPV. Few women (11.9%) had ever sought information about HPV and only 14.8% of the total sample had ever discussed HPV with a friend. Strong support was found for vaccination in general and there was also significant support for a HPV vaccine. Conclusion: The present study documents ways in which women learn about HPV and indicates the potential for success of a vaccination program.
... REVIEW LINDA PA McGOWAN, DAVID D. CLARK-CARTER and MARIAN K. PIITS* Division of Psychology, S... more ... REVIEW LINDA PA McGOWAN, DAVID D. CLARK-CARTER and MARIAN K. PIITS* Division of Psychology, Staffordshire University, College Road Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2DE, UK (Received 24 September, 195%; in final form 6 May, 1997) ...
Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desir... more Older age is often associated with asexuality. That is, older individuals are not viewed as desiring of sex, nor as sexually desirable to others. Broader social and cultural norms that downplay women's sexual desire and agency further compound these phenomena. Whether this popular image accurately reflects older women's sexual desires, behaviour and capacity to experience pleasure is unclear. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 43 partnered Australian women aged 55À81, this article considers women's sexual experiences and desires in older age. The findings of our research confirm that older women's experiences of sex and sexual desire are diverse and fluid. Some of the factors that influenced participants' sexual behaviour and desire will be considered in this article, as will their understandings of what "counts" as sexual satisfaction and "successful sex". The factors affecting sexual behaviour and desire also influence the way in which women are able to negotiate sexual interaction with their partners. Participants expressed a need for education and resources in order to gain greater control and to make autonomous choices over their sexual experiences, desire and ability to give and receive pleasure. The implications of these findings for practitioners are also considered.
Background: A vaccine program is underway to protect women against human papillomavirus (HPV) and... more Background: A vaccine program is underway to protect women against human papillomavirus (HPV) and thus cervical cancer. Previous studies have reported very low levels of HPV knowledge and there has been concern that preventative vaccines might not be readily accepted, given that HPV is transmitted sexually and the optimal time for vaccination is before sexual debut. Methods: A computer-assisted telephone survey was carried out with a representative sample of 1100 women aged 18 to 61 years, randomly selected from households in Victoria, Australia, to investigate knowledge and attitudes about HPV and attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Results: Half of the participants (51%) had heard of HPV; most reported learning about it from the media. Most women indicated they would trust their general practitioner (96.3%), a gynaecologist or specialist doctor (99.6%), or a women's health service (97.0%) for information about HPV. Few women (11.9%) had ever sought information about HPV and only 14.8% of the total sample had ever discussed HPV with a friend. Strong support was found for vaccination in general and there was also significant support for a HPV vaccine. Conclusion: The present study documents ways in which women learn about HPV and indicates the potential for success of a vaccination program.
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