DeLamater, John, Janet S. Hyde, and Mei-Chia Fong
Working paper no. 2006-08
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to present and interpret data on the sexual behavior of men and women in their mid-sixties. These results fill an important gap in our understanding of human sexual activity across the life course. The data are from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study 2003 mail survey; this analysis involves 2,409 men and 2,717 women. The original sample consisted of graduates of Wisconsin high schools in 1957. Regression analyses were used to identify variables independently associated with sexual behavior and satisfaction. Reported frequency of sexual behavior was positively associated with physical health and marital satisfaction, and negatively associated with psychological distress. Satisfaction with one’s sexual relationship was negatively associated with distress, and positively associated with frequency of behavior, and two measures of relationship quality. The results are consistent with a biopsychosocial model of the influences on sexual expression.