Sexual behavior in aged men and women. I. Observations on 254 community volunteers.

KNOWLEDGE about sexual behavior in old age is still very scant. A few cross-sectional data have been recorded in the literature 1-5 and these give some indication of the degree and kind of change which takes place. But cross-sectional data can obscure as well as clarify understanding of a process, and longitudinal data are obviously needed to complete the picture. The present paper is one in a series of reports on sexual behavior of aged individuals who have been studied repeatedly over an extended period of time. Background Since 1954 a longitudinal study of elderly individuals has been carried out. The specific data which form the basis for this report were gathered as part of a larger interdisciplinary study of physiological, psychological, and social changes occurring in old age. Subjects of the study were 260 community volunteers who were 60 years or older at the inception of the study. Subjects