Sexual relationships in married dementia sufferers.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the proportion of couples, one of whom suffers from dementia, continuing with a sexual relationship, their level of satisfaction with their sexual relationship and the associations of remaining sexually active.

DESIGN

A survey of married couples enrolled in a prospective dementia study.

SETTING

Psychiatric services and a memory clinic.

SAMPLE

The partners of 47 married patients with mild to moderate dementia.

MEASURES

The assessment included the GMS/HAS/SDS package, the Marital Intimacy Scale (with some additional questions regarding sexual relations), the CAMCOG, the Carers Stress Scale, the Cornell Depression Scale and the Burns Symptom Checklist. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-III-R, McKhann, McKeith, Hachinski and HAS AGECAT criteria.

RESULTS

Forty partners completed the study. Nine (22.5%) continued to have a sexual relationship, all of whom were satisfied with the situation. Twelve (38.7%) of the carers who were not sexually active were dissatisfied with the absence of a sexual relationship. There was a trend for male carers to be more likely to be involved in a continuing sexual relationship. Dissatisfaction with the absence of a sexual relationship was significantly associated with a diagnosis of vascular dementia in the patient and showed a trend towards an association with younger patient age.

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly a quarter of married dementia sufferers are involved in a continuing sexual relationship, emphasizing the importance of further research in this area.