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A Cross-National Study of Subjective Sexual Well-Being Among Older Women and Men: Findings From the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors

Archives of Sexual Behavior volume 35, pages 143–159 (2006)Cite this article

Subjective sexual well-being refers to the cognitive and emotional evaluation of an individual's sexuality. This study examined subjective sexual well-being, explored its various aspects, examined predictors across different cultures, and investigated its possible associations with overall happiness and selected correlates, including sexual dysfunction. Data were drawn from the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors, a survey of 27,500 men and women aged 40–80 years in 29 countries. The cross-national variation of four aspects of sexual well-being (the emotional and physical satisfaction of sexual relationships, satisfaction with sexual health or function, and the importance of sex in one's life) was explored using cluster analysis, and relationships among sexual well-being, general happiness, and various correlates were examined using ordinary least squares regression and ordered logistic regression. Results from the cluster analysis identified three clusters: a gender-equal regime and two male-centered regimes. Despite this cultural variation, the predictors of subjective sexual well-being were found to be largely consistent across world regions.

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Notes

  1. The 500 cases collected in Hong Kong were dropped from the analyses reported here because they were too few to sustain statistical analysis and there was no statistical justification for assigning them to the sample collected in mainland China. As a result, the analyses reported here were based on a total sample of 27,000.

  2. We also inspected Cronbach's α values across countries and gender in order to assess internal reliability among the four aspects of sexual well-being. In most countries and both genders, the α values were between .60 and .80, which just marginally support one underlying factor. Despite the striking sociocultural differences across the world regions, the fundamental similarity in the dominant factor across the three regions may attest to the presence of an underlying “universal” mechanism generating judgments about subjective sexual well-being.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors (GSSAB) was funded by Pfizer Inc. As independent consultants charged with directing the design, analysis, and interpretation of the collected data, a scientific advisory board was assembled to include researchers and practitioners whose primary institutional affiliations are with universities or government research institutes or in public or private practice. The analysis and interpretation of the results are the sole product of discussions among the co-authors, represent the consensus of the co-authors, and have not been subject to editorial revision by Pfizer Inc. The authors acknowledge the contribution of their colleagues on the international advisory board for this study: Gerald Brock (Canada), Jacques Buvat (France), Uwe Hartmann (Germany), Sae-Chul Kim (Korea), Rosie King (Australia), Ken Marumo (Japan), Ferruh Simsek (Turkey).

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Edward O. Laumann Ph.D. & Jeong-Han Kang M.A.

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Anthony Paik Ph.D.

  3. Pfizer Inc., New York, USA

    Dale B. Glasser Ph.D.

  4. Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China

    Tianfu Wang Ph.D.

  5. Private Practice, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Bernard Levinson M.B., B.Ch., D.P.M.

  6. Unit of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Bahia, Brazil

    Edson D. Moreira Jr M.D., Ph.D.

  7. Department of Epidemiology and Medical Informatics, National Research Council, Milan, Italy

    Alfredo Nicolosi M.D., Ph.D.

  8. GH Sergievsky Center, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, USA

    Alfredo Nicolosi M.D., Ph.D.

  9. GSSAB Investigators' Group, Bristol Urological Institute, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, England

    Clive Gingell F.R.S.C.

  10. Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, 1126 E. 59th Street, Room 409, Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA

    Edward O. Laumann Ph.D.

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  1. Edward O. Laumann Ph.D.
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  2. Anthony Paik Ph.D.
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  8. Alfredo Nicolosi M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Edward O. Laumann Ph.D..

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Laumann, E.O., Paik, A., Glasser, D.B. et al. A Cross-National Study of Subjective Sexual Well-Being Among Older Women and Men: Findings From the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors. Arch Sex Behav 35, 143–159 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-005-9005-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-005-9005-3

Key Words

  • subjective well-being
  • sexual function
  • happiness
  • gender roles
  • cross-national