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Perception of change in sexual activity in Alzheimer's disease: views of people with dementia and their spouse-caregivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2016

Marcela Moreira Lima Nogueira ,
Jose Pedro Simões Neto ,
Maria Fernanda B. Sousa ,
Raquel L. Santos ,
Isabel Barbeito Lacerda ,
Maria Alice Tourinho Baptista  and
Marcia Cristina Nascimento Dourado
Marcela Moreira Lima Nogueira*
Affiliation:
Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Jose Pedro Simões Neto
Affiliation:
Department of Political Sociology, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
Maria Fernanda B. Sousa
Affiliation:
Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Raquel L. Santos
Affiliation:
Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Isabel Barbeito Lacerda
Affiliation:
Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Maria Alice Tourinho Baptista
Affiliation:
Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Marcia Cristina Nascimento Dourado
Affiliation:
Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Marcela Moreira Lima Nogueira, Rua Ronald de Carvalho, 265/303, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 22021-020, Brazil. Phone: +55-21-980514000. Email: marcela.lima.psi@gmail.com.
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Abstract

Introduction:

The onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects couples’ relationship. We investigated the perception of change and sexual satisfaction in spouse-caregivers and their partners diagnosed with AD.

Methods:

We compared 74 dyads of people with Alzheimer's disease (PwAD)/spouse-caregivers and 21 elderly dyads control. We assessed sexual satisfaction with Questionnaire on Sexual Experience and Satisfaction (QSES), cognition using a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), disease severity using a Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR), awareness of disease with Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD), functionality with Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), depressive symptoms with Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), quality of life using a Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QoL-AD), and burden using a Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI).

Results:

We found differences between the perception and no perception of change in sexual activity of PwAD (p < 0.001), spouse-caregivers (p < 0.01), and controls (p < 0.05). Moderate to severe sexual dissatisfaction was observed in 36.5% of PwAD, 65% of spouse-caregivers, and 31% of controls. PwAD sexual satisfaction was related to cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). Spouse-caregivers sexual satisfaction was related to gender (p < 0.05) and the presence of sexual activity (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

The perception of change with higher sexual dissatisfaction, were significant in PwAD and their spouse-caregivers, in comparison with couples of elderly without dementia.

Keywords

sexual activitysexual satisfactionAlzheimer's diseasespouse-caregivercognitionelderly
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , February 2017 , pp. 185 - 193
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2016 

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