Social Psychiatry, Vol. 45 No. 4, 2017.
Review article
Health and Sexuality in Elderly People
Ivana Lončar
; Zagreb University Hospital Centre, University Department of Psychiatry, National Centre for Psychotrauma, Zagreb, Croatia
Mladen Lončar
; Zagreb University Hospital Centre, University Department of Psychiatry, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Recently, interest in research on elderly persons has been growing due to the growing number of elderly people in the total population. Just in the Republic of Croatia, about 16 % of the total population are older
persons. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the problems faced by elderly people when it comes to their sexuality, primarily because sexuality is regarded as one of the important aspects of the individual’s health. We will address some recent studies from outside Croatia, as this is still not area of interest for our scientists and researchers and most of their research is related to sexuality before older age. The aim of the paper is also to encourage researchers to engage with this issue more because of the growing number of elderly people. Furthermore, one must keep in mind that a significant number of people in the population of war veterans, especially those who were in captivity in Serbian concentration camps and who underwent various forms of torture including sexual abuse that has already left a deep and evident mark on their psychological and physical health, including their sexuality, are about to enter the third age.
Keywords
Sexuality; Elderly persons; Health; Aging
Hrčak ID:
192387
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2017.
Visits: 4.031 *