Introduction
Sexual activity and sexual difficulties
Seeking and receiving help
Method
Recruitment, participants, and ethics
The questionnaire
Measures
Data analysis
Results
Characteristics of the samples
Unweighted data | Weighted data | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norway (%) | Denmark (%) | Belgium (%) | Portugal (%) | Norway (%) | Denmark (%) | Belgium (%) | Portugal (%) | |
Gender | ||||||||
Men | 53.2 | 50.7 | 32.1 | 46.4 | 49.9 | 50.1 | 49.0 | 45.6 |
Women | 46.8 | 49.3 | 67.9 | 53.6 | 50.1 | 49.9 | 51.0 | 54.4 |
N | 1270 | 1045 | 990 | 509 | 1270 | 1045 | 990 | 509 |
Age group | ||||||||
60–64 | 30.9 | 27.6 | 33.1 | 44.8 | 35.6 | 27.7 | 33.5 | 35.4 |
65–69 | 33.3 | 31.1 | 36.7 | 33.0 | 34.4 | 31.8 | 35.6 | 35.6 |
70–75 | 35.9 | 41.3 | 30.2 | 22.2 | 30.0 | 40.6 | 30.9 | 29.1 |
N | 1269 | 1045 | 990 | 509 | 1272 | 1045 | 989 | 509 |
Level of education | ||||||||
Primary | 9.9 | 27.6 | 13.7 | 32.9 | 9.9 | 27.5 | 12.2 | 38.8 |
Secondary | 36.0 | 37.6 | 51.5 | 49.1 | 37.0 | 37.6 | 51.2 | 44.2 |
Tertiary | 54.0 | 34.8 | 34.8 | 18.0 | 53.1 | 34.9 | 36.6 | 17.0 |
N | 1268 | 1038 | 983 | 505 | 1270 | 1045 | 990 | 509 |
Relationship status | ||||||||
Partnered | 76.3 | 84.2 | 58.0 | 83.2 | 76.4 | 84.1 | 63.2 | 82.5 |
No partner | 23.2 | 15.8 | 42.0 | 16.8 | 23.6 | 15.9 | 36.8 | 17.5 |
N | 1255 | 1043 | 985 | 505 | 1267 | 1045 | 989 | 509 |
Church attendance | ||||||||
Never | 34.6 | 30.5 | 43.6 | 23.7 | 33.8 | 30.6 | 44.2 | 20.7 |
Less than once a year | 23.5 | 24.0 | 11.6 | 15.6 | 23.4 | 24.0 | 12.2 | 13.8 |
Once or twice a year | 28.0 | 31.8 | 24.6 | 22.3 | 28.5 | 31.8 | 24.2 | 22.6 |
Once a month or more often | 13.9 | 13.7 | 20.2 | 38.5 | 14.3 | 13.6 | 19.4 | 42.9 |
N | 1257 | 1036 | 978 | 494 | 1258 | 1036 | 981 | 492 |
Self-reported health status | ||||||||
Excellent | 12.2 | 14.2 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 11.8 | 14.1 | 5.5 | 2.7 |
Very good | 30.1 | 39.8 | 26.5 | 11.1 | 30.4 | 39.8 | 26.3 | 8.7 |
Good | 39.6 | 28.0 | 48.7 | 37.7 | 39.6 | 28.1 | 47.9 | 35.6 |
Fair | 14.9 | 16.2 | 16.9 | 41.1 | 15.0 | 16.2 | 17.9 | 44.6 |
Poor | 3.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 6.5 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 8.3 |
N | 1191 | 954 | 896 | 506 | 1270 | 1045 | 990 | 509 |
Frequency of help-seeking and related aspects
Men | Women | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norway (%) | Denmark (%) | Belgium (%) | Portugal (%) | Norway (%) | Denmark (%) | Belgium (%) | Portugal (%) | |
n = 76 | n = 49 | n = 73 | n = 30 | n = 32 | n = 30 | n = 41 | n = 27 | |
Because sexual activity is important to me | 55.3 | 57.1 | 53.4 | 56.7 | 21.9 | 23.3 | 19.5 | 22.2 |
Because sexual activity is important to our relationship | 44.7 | 42.9 | 14.9 | 30.0 | 43.8 | 25.8 | 14.6 | 18.5 |
Because my partner wanted me to | 6.6 | 10.2 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 12.1 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
Because the change in my sex life had a negative impact on how I felt | 19.7 | 16.3 | 15.1 | 10.0 | 18.2 | 6.7 | 4.9 | 7.4 |
Because the change in my sex life had a negative impact on our relationship | 13.2 | 14.6 | 20.5 | 10.0 | 9.4 | 3.3 | 12.2 | 7.4 |
Because I feared that my partner would seek another sexual partner | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.1 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 11.1 |
Because I was concerned that I would not be able to meet a new sexual partner | 6.6 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
Other reasons | 13.2 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 21.2 | 23.3 | 22.0 | 29.6 |
Men | Women | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norway (%) | Denmark (%) | Belgium (%) | Portugal (%) | Norway (%) | Denmark (%) | Belgium (%) | Portugal (%) | |
(n = 443) | (n = 368) | (n = 374) | (n = 166) | (n = 440) | (n = 334) | (n = 326) | (n = 160) | |
Embarrassed | 5.2 (23) | 5.2 (19) | 7.2 (27) | 3.0 (5) | 2.7 (12) | 4.8 (16) | 8.9 (29) | 4.4 (7) |
Ashamed | 0.9 (4) | 0.5 (2) | 6.4 (24) | 4.8 (8) | 0.5 (2) | 0.6 (2) | 5.5 (18) | 3.1 (5) |
Did not have time | 0.5 (2) | 0.8 (3) | 1.3 (5) | 0.6 (1) | 0.0 (0) | 0.6 (2) | 1.5 (5) | 0.0 (0) |
Expected it would clear up on its own | 8.6 (38) | 12.0 (44) | 11.5 (43) | 14.5 (24) | 7.5 (33) | 10.8 (36) | 10.1 (33) | 5.0 (8) |
Symptoms did not bother me | 12.8 (57) | 14.9 (55) | 18.1 (68) | 9.6 (16) | 15.9 (70) | 14.7 (49) | 18.1 (59) | 21.4 (34) |
I did not know where to seek help | 1.6 (7) | 2.2 (8) | 4.3 (16) | 3.0 (5) | 0.7 (3) | 2.1 (7) | 1.2 (4) | 1.9 (3) |
Other | 11.3 (50) | 16.0 (59) | 16.6 (62) | 9.6 (16) | 11.1 (49) | 17.7 (59) | 16.8 (55) | 9.4 (15) |
Correlates of professional help-seeking for sexual difficulties
Women | Men | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
AORa | AORa | AORa | AORa | |
(95% CI) | (95% CI) | (95% CI) | (95% CI) | |
Denmark dummy | 1.38 | 1.05 | .59* | .62* |
(.66–2.90) | (.55–2.00) | (.37–.94) | (.44–1.08) | |
Belgium dummy | 1.65 | 1.41 | .87 | .69 |
(.83–3.29) | (.80–2.48) | (.58–1.32) | (.44–1.08) | |
Portugal dummy | 2.54* | 2.40* | .85 | .73 |
(1.11–5.80) | (1.13–5.09) | (.48–1.50) | (.44–1.22) | |
Age | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.03 | 1.02 |
(.94–1.06) | (.95–1.06) | (.99–.1.07) | (.99–1.06) | |
Education | ||||
Primaryb | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Secondary | 1.91* | 1.53 | .92 | .91 |
(1.07–3.42) | (.93–2.53) | (.63–1.33) | (.64–1.30) | |
Tertiary | 3.00* | 2.40* | .71 | .57* |
(1.21–7.40) | (1.13–5.09) | (.42–1.19) | (.34–.97) | |
In a relationship/married | 3.16** | 2.32** | 1.09 | 1.09 |
(1.44–6.94) | (1.26–4.27) | (.68–1.75) | (.69–1.73) | |
Settlement size | .85 | .88 | .99 | 1.03 |
(.69–1.04) | (.73–1.05) | (.86–1.14) | (.91–1.18) | |
Religiosity | 1.05 | 1.02 | 1.10* | 1.09* |
(.92–1.20) | (.91–1.15) | (1.01–1.21) | (1.00–1.19) | |
General health | 1.61** | 1.34* | 1.05 | 1.05 |
(1.20–2.16) | (1.06–1.76) | (.88–1.25) | (.89–1.25) | |
Level of distress over one or more sexual difficulties | 1.13*** | 1.14*** | 1.14** | 1.15*** |
(1.09–1.18) | (1.10–1.19) | (1.11–1.18) | (1.11–1.18) |