The relationship between need for sexual intimacy and strategies for coping with shame in the older people

Sexual activity, a basic physiological need, continues throughout life, including old age. Feelings of shame of this basic need can negatively impact on older people’s physical and mental health. This research was conducted as a cross-sectional and correlational study to determine the relationship between need for sexual ıntımacy and strategies for coping with shame ın the older people. The study was conducted with 376 older people aged 65–92 living in a city center in Turkey. The research data were collected between December 2024 and May 2025 using the ‘Personal Information Form,’ ‘Shame Compass Scale’ and ‘Need for Sexual Intimacy Scale.’ Nearly half of the older participating in the study were sexually active and had high levels of need for sexual ıntımacy. Additionally, as older people’ need for sex increased, they used maladaptive strategies of avoidance, withdrawal, and attack others more frequently. As their need for affiliation increased, they used the maladaptive strategies of attack others less. These findings reveal the importance of mental health and psychiatric nurses providing holistic care in collaboration with older people to enable them to maintain a healthy sexual life without feeling embarrassed.