Department of Sociology, Michigan State University, East Lansing.
Department of Sociology, Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019 Jan 10;74(2):298-308. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gby089.
We examine how giving versus receiving oral sex, 2 processes that are linked to relationship quality, are associated with older men's and women's well-being.
We analyzed 884 heterosexual couples from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (2010-2011). We estimate Actor-Partner Interdependence Models using the SEM approach to assess three well-being outcomes: general happiness, psychological distress, and self-reported mental health.
Older adults with better relationship quality gave oral sex to their partner more often than those with worse relationship quality; this association was stronger for men than for women. While receiving oral sex was positively related to both men's, and women's perceptions of relationship quality, women's relationship quality was more strongly linked to their partners' well-being than men's. Correspondingly, men's giving of oral sex (and thus their female partner's receiving of oral sex) was positively related to their own well-being through increasing their female partner's perceived relationship quality.
Given the high prevalence of sexual dysfunctions among older adults, oral sex may play an important but overlooked role in maintaining an active sexual life, a high-quality relationship, and psychological vibrancy in late life.
本研究旨在探讨与关系质量相关的两种行为，即口交的给予和接受，与老年男性和女性的健康状况有何关联。
我们分析了来自国家社会生活、健康和老龄化项目（2010-2011 年）的 884 对异性恋夫妇的数据。我们采用结构方程模型（SEM）方法估计了演员-伙伴相互依存模型，以评估三种健康结果：总体幸福感、心理困扰和自我报告的心理健康。
关系质量较好的老年成年人比关系质量较差的老年成年人更频繁地为伴侣进行口交；这种关联在男性中比在女性中更强。虽然接受口交与男性和女性对关系质量的认知都呈正相关，但女性的关系质量与男性相比，与伴侣的健康状况更为密切相关。相应地，男性进行口交（因此女性伴侣接受口交）通过提高女性伴侣对关系质量的感知，与自身的健康状况呈正相关。
鉴于老年人群中性功能障碍的高发率，口交可能在维持活跃的性生活、高质量的关系和晚年心理活力方面发挥着重要但被忽视的作用。
