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Elderly Women’s Views About Sexual Desire During Old Age: A Qualitative Study

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Abstract

Due to the embarrassment and discomfort elderly women feel, there is insufficient information about elderly Iranian women’s sexual desires. Therefore, 15 elderly married women over 60 years of age were studied. The participants all lived with their husbands and were interested in expressing the sexual desire they felt. Using qualitative content analysis, we identified three categories of sexual desire among the studied participants: a dictated role, acquired management, and glorified spirituality. In all three categories, both religious and traditional dimensions are also observed. In addition to socio-cultural and psychological factors, the evaluation of sexual desire in older women requires considering a full range of spiritual and religious issues.

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Acknowledgments

We thank our participants for sharing their life experiences with us. We also appreciate the research Deputy at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences for the financial support.

Conflict of interest

The authors, Dr. Maryam Ravanipour, Tayebeh Gharibi, and Tahereh Gharibi declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Rishehr Street, P.O. Box 7518759577, Bushehr, Iran

    Maryam Ravanipour, Tayebeh Gharibi & Tahereh Gharibi

  2. The Persian Gulf Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

    Maryam Ravanipour

Authors
  1. Maryam Ravanipour
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  2. Tayebeh Gharibi
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  3. Tahereh Gharibi
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Correspondence to Tayebeh Gharibi.

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Ravanipour, M., Gharibi, T. & Gharibi, T. Elderly Women’s Views About Sexual Desire During Old Age: A Qualitative Study. Sex Disabil 31, 179–188 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-013-9295-7

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