Marital Quality and Older Men's and Women's Comfort Discussing Sexual Issues With a Doctor

It is not uncommon for older adults to feel uncomfortable engaging in sexual health communication with a doctor. Nevertheless, there is reason to expect that marital quality is associated with older adults' comfort discussing sexual issues with a doctor. This study examined the relation between marital quality and comfort discussing sexual issues with a doctor among older married men and women using a nationally representative sample of older adults. Data were analyzed using partial proportional odds models. Positive marital quality predicted higher levels of comfort discussing sexual issues with a doctor, but only for men. In contrast, negative marital quality had no significant effect on comfort discussing sex with a doctor for men or women. These results suggest that for older married men, a positive marriage is an important factor in promoting comfort in regard to sexual health communication with a doctor.