Sexuality among older adults: A comparative study of perceptions of undergraduate nursing and social work students.

Questionnaires were administered to forty nursing students and fifty-six social work students (N = 96). The sample responded to questions in the areas of geriatric knowledge and attitude (perceptions), socio-demographics, gerontology education history, geriatric employment and volunteer experiences, and interactions with elderly family members and friends. Major findings revealed that: (1) the socio-demographic profile of the sample was similar to those in other studies reported in the literature; (2) the sample had limited knowledge about sexuality among older adults; (3) the sample had similar permissive attitudes toward sexuality among older adults; (4) in the sample, there was positive relationship between having higher knowledge about sexuality among the elderly and having permissive attitudes about sexuality among the elderly; (5) the sample had fewer relationships with higher knowledge than permissive attitude; (6) the sample had more relationships with permissive attitude than higher knowledge; (7) the social work students had more relationships with higher knowledge than the nursing students; and, (8) the nursing students had more relationships with permissive attitude than social work students. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1991 .S664. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 30-04, page: 1133. Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1991