Religion and Coping with Sexual Impotence in Later Life

ABSTRACT

Eighty-three elderly men with sexual impotence attending a university-affiliated urology clinic underwent psychological evaluations. Religious conservatives and frequent church attenders showed a greater prevalence of help-seeking behaviors; they were also more likely to perceive their partners as supportive of their attempts to get help for impotence problems. There was no evidence that either religious affiliation or activity buffered against the psycho-logical stresses conferred by sexual dysfunction. Moreover, religious conservatives and frequent attenders were more restricted in the range of sexual behaviors they used to facilitate arousal and maximize partner satisfaction. These Findings may help guide clinicians and counselors called on to address male sexual dysfunction among the religious elderly.