Abstract
The sexuality in the process of aging is a phenomenon that should be understood in a systematic way. Given the number of possibilities surrounding sexuality, our study focused on sexual intercourses. Therefore, we aimed to understand the attitudes and the knowledge of the older adults from a municipality in the agreste of the state of Pernambuco about to sexual intercourse during aging. We used both quantitative and descriptive methods and the ASKAS (Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale) scale to collect and analyze the data of 150 participants of both sexes. The results showed that most people interviewed understand that sexual intercourses can bring some psychological benefits. Despite this, most of them pointed that sexual interest inevitably disappears after the 65 years of age. The women interviewed, as expected, were more affected by taboos and prohibition related to sexual desires, considering sex as a danger and being ashamed of showing sexual interest for their partner, pointing to the need of an open discussion on the topic.
Keywords:
Aging; Sexual intercourses; Attitudes