Sustaining an intimate and sexually fulfilled marriage or partnership in older adulthood with a disability
Perspectives of social workers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2169007 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kristen F Linton (0000-0003-3688-8892, Health Science Program, California State University, Channel Islands, Camarillo, California, USA), Lela Rankin Williams (Arizona State University), Lois Rankin (0000-0002-7877-6402) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1026-1035 |
| Publication date | 2019-11-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1091-1359 • E-ISSN: 1540-3556 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10911359.2019.1652128 |
| OpenAlex | W2969658313 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
The American portrayal of sex is often left for only the young, attractive, and able-bodied. In contrast many studies have found that older adults with disabilities in marriages and intimate partnerships have sexual desire and sexually active lives. Social workers are often burdened with balancing the sexual intimacy desires of their older adult clients with disabilities, alongside the need to protect them from sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly among those who may lack the capacity to consent due to cognitive impairment. This phenomenological study aimed to understand the lived professional experience of social workers (N = 5) in supporting married and intimately partnered couples in which at least one person was an older adult with a disability to understand the clients' needs and common social work practice methods used to address their needs. Inductive coding was used to identify themes and subthemes. Their role included helping their clients to learn about their ability to have sex, consenting to sex, negotiating accommodations for intimacy and sex with their spouses, and counseling those who took on caregiver roles for their spouses. Social workers reported that individual diagnosis, such as dementia, should not alone determine one's ability to consent to sex
Dementia · Developmental psychology · Disease · General partnership · Human sexuality · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Qualitative research · Sociology · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · Medicine · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work · Clinical Psychology · Gender Studies
The Relative Health Benefits of Different Sexual Activities
Heterosexism in Health and Social Care
Dementia spousal caregivers and past transgressions
Sexual Expression in Later Life
Qualitative Research Designs
Intimacy, commitment, and adaptation
Evaluating Qualitative Research for Social Work Practitioners
All Shook Up
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |