Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia
Although sexual problems become more common with age, older adults rarely seek professional help. Understanding why is key to supporting sexual health in aging populations. This study assessed the prevalence of sexual difficulties, help-seeking behavior, and reasons for not seeking help among Czech...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622872/full |
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| author | Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska Anna Ševčíková Klára Bártová Klára Bártová Lucie Krejčová Lucie Krejčová Lucie Kalenská Renáta Androvičová Petr Weiss Petr Weiss Kateřina Klapilová Kateřina Klapilová Kateřina Klapilová |
| author_facet | Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska Anna Ševčíková Klára Bártová Klára Bártová Lucie Krejčová Lucie Krejčová Lucie Kalenská Renáta Androvičová Petr Weiss Petr Weiss Kateřina Klapilová Kateřina Klapilová Kateřina Klapilová |
| author_sort | Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although sexual problems become more common with age, older adults rarely seek professional help. Understanding why is key to supporting sexual health in aging populations. This study assessed the prevalence of sexual difficulties, help-seeking behavior, and reasons for not seeking help among Czech adults aged 50–75, using nationally representative data from the 2023/2024 CzechSex survey (n = 2,927; 53% men). Logistic regression analyses examined the predictor role of sociodemographic factors, sexual activity frequency, sexual ageism, and distress over sexual problems on help-seeking. Lifetime sexual difficulties were reported by 59% of respondents, and 31% experienced them in the past 12 months. Among those with persistent issues, only 7.6% sought counseling or other professional help. Women were significantly more likely than men not to seek help (OR = 1.64, 95% CI [1.04, 2.61], p < 0.05); lower distress was also associated with non-help-seeking (OR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.54, 0.86], p < 0.001). The most common reasons for not seeking help were perceiving problems as not bothersome, followed by shame, embarrassment, and difficulty communicating (personal/emotional barriers). Systemic barriers (e.g., lack of services, long wait times) were rarely reported. Overall, help-seeking for sexual problems is uncommon in this age group, and personal barriers outweigh institutional ones, posing a challenge for effectively targeting no-help seekers and designing effective interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ae6129657764c6795f36fbfde2011bd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ae6129657764c6795f36fbfde2011bd2025-08-20T03:01:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.16228721622872Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in CzechiaGabriela Gore-Gorszewska0Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska1Anna Ševčíková2Klára Bártová3Klára Bártová4Lucie Krejčová5Lucie Krejčová6Lucie Kalenská7Renáta Androvičová8Petr Weiss9Petr Weiss10Kateřina Klapilová11Kateřina Klapilová12Kateřina Klapilová13Psychology Research Institute, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, CzechiaInstitute of Psychology, Department of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, PolandPsychology Research Institute, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, CzechiaCenter for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaFaculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaCenter for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaFaculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaCenter for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaCenter for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaCenter for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaInstitute for Sexology, General Faculty Hospital, Prague, CzechiaCenter for Sexual Health and Interventions, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, CzechiaFaculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague, CzechiaInstitute for Sexology, General Faculty Hospital, Prague, CzechiaAlthough sexual problems become more common with age, older adults rarely seek professional help. Understanding why is key to supporting sexual health in aging populations. This study assessed the prevalence of sexual difficulties, help-seeking behavior, and reasons for not seeking help among Czech adults aged 50–75, using nationally representative data from the 2023/2024 CzechSex survey (n = 2,927; 53% men). Logistic regression analyses examined the predictor role of sociodemographic factors, sexual activity frequency, sexual ageism, and distress over sexual problems on help-seeking. Lifetime sexual difficulties were reported by 59% of respondents, and 31% experienced them in the past 12 months. Among those with persistent issues, only 7.6% sought counseling or other professional help. Women were significantly more likely than men not to seek help (OR = 1.64, 95% CI [1.04, 2.61], p < 0.05); lower distress was also associated with non-help-seeking (OR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.54, 0.86], p < 0.001). The most common reasons for not seeking help were perceiving problems as not bothersome, followed by shame, embarrassment, and difficulty communicating (personal/emotional barriers). Systemic barriers (e.g., lack of services, long wait times) were rarely reported. Overall, help-seeking for sexual problems is uncommon in this age group, and personal barriers outweigh institutional ones, posing a challenge for effectively targeting no-help seekers and designing effective interventions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622872/fullsexual difficultieshelp-seeking behaviordistressolder adultsadults 50+barriers to help seeking |
| spellingShingle | Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska Gabriela Gore-Gorszewska Anna Ševčíková Klára Bártová Klára Bártová Lucie Krejčová Lucie Krejčová Lucie Kalenská Renáta Androvičová Petr Weiss Petr Weiss Kateřina Klapilová Kateřina Klapilová Kateřina Klapilová Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia Frontiers in Psychology sexual difficulties help-seeking behavior distress older adults adults 50+ barriers to help seeking |
| title | Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia |
| title_full | Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia |
| title_fullStr | Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia |
| title_short | Silent struggles: help-seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50+ in Czechia |
| title_sort | silent struggles help seeking barriers for sexual difficulties among adults 50 in czechia |
| topic | sexual difficulties help-seeking behavior distress older adults adults 50+ barriers to help seeking |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622872/full |
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