Open Access“Went Along With”: Acquiescence During First Sexual Experience and Late-Life Health
Author(s) -
Hui Liu,
Shan Shen,
Megan Russ
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
archives of sexual behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.288
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1573-2800
pISSN - 0004-0002
DOI - 10.1007/s10508-021-02206-2
Subject(s) - acquiescence , life course approach , psychology , socioeconomic status , public health , marital status , sexual life , sex life , reproductive health , developmental psychology , demography , gerontology , social psychology , human sexuality , medicine , population , gender studies , sociology , political science , gynecology , nursing , politics , law
Working from a life course perspective, we examined how acquiescence (i.e., "lack of resistance") to an unwanted (i.e., "without experiencing a concomitant desire") first sexual experience was related to health and well-being in late life. Data were drawn from the second wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (2010/11). The sample included 2558 older adults ages 62-99 (1182 men and 1376 women). Results from regression models suggested those respondents whose first sex was acquiesced reported higher levels of psychological distress and poorer physical health during late life than respondents whose first sex was wanted. Results from generalized structural equation modeling analysis further suggested that the association between acquiesced first sex and late-life health operated through adulthood socioeconomic status but not through marital relationships. We did not find gender differences in these processes.