title: Sexuality of widows: a study of the sexual practices of widows during the first fourteen months of bereavement.
abstract: The sexual adjustment of 31 Caucasian women, ages 30-62, widowed less than 14 months was assessed using a structural interview. The relationship between the frequencies of autostimulation, coitus, sexual desire and other selected variables was analyzed. Results showed that the sexual identity and experience of each individual widow; circumstances surrounding the death of the husband, particularly whether the death was sudden or delayed; the widow's age; overall sexual satisfaction and intimacy within the marriage, as opposed to ambivalence toward the relationship; and the degree and kind of attachment to the deceased spouse; seem to be significantly associated with the sexual desires and activities of widows during the first 14 months of bereavement.
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001293:Attitude to Death; D003075:Coitus; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012847:Single Person / Q000523:psychology*