Deck 7: Intimacy and Sexuality

Question 1

The Widowed Persons Service (WPS)is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

A) it offers outreach services to widows and widowers.
B) it is a program of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
C) it is made up mostly of college student volunteers.
D) it conducts special outreach to minorities and other groups.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Grief work

A) refers to the healthy confrontation and acknowledgment of the emotions brought about by death.
B) involves the reorganization of the life of the remaining spouse.
C) keeps the widowed from coping with the finality of the loss of their spouse.
D) is best achieved by the widow quickly resuming her past social activities after the death of her spouse.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Gender comparisons of marriage and widowhood statuses reveal

A) marriage is the predominant life-style of both men and women over the age of 75.
B) two-thirds of women over age 75 are widows.
C) a man has an even chance of being widowed only when he reaches the age of 95.
D) widowhood is the predominant life style of both men and women over the age of 75.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A widow who experiences identity foreclosure is likely to

A) refuse to date or consider remarriage.
B) date but not consider remarriage.
C) focus her identity around her former relationship to her deceased spouse.
D) transform her personal identity.

Question 5

A longitudinal study of widowhood found that

A) long-widowed men and women were as satisfied with their lives as married elders.
B) it was more stressful to be bereaved.
C) both married elders and long term widowed men and women suffered more loneliness than married individuals.
D) it took the young-old longer than the old-old to adjust to their spouse's death.

Question 6

The concept of ____________ refers to the need to be close to,part of,and familiar with another person.

A) companionship
B) intimacy
C) sexuality
D) friendship

Question 7

A husband and wife's opportunity to share time and common interests that develop greater mutual respect and understanding

A) tends to increase over the time of the marriage.
B) resembles a bell curve over the time of the marriage, i.e., is highest in the middle years.
C) tends to decrease over the time of the marriage.
D) resembles an inverted bell curve over the time of the marriage, i.e., is lowest in the middle years.

Question 8

Compared to older men,older women

A) have a shorter life expectancy.
B) are almost half as likely to be married.
C) are more likely to marry someone younger than they are.
D) are more likely to be widowed.

Question 9

Widowers are more likely than married men to die from

A) suicide.
B) accidents.
C) heart disease.
D) All of these choices

Question 10

Which of the following is part of the structure,in contrast to process,of a kin relationship?

A) family size
B) generational composition
C) marital and parenthood status
D) All of these choices

Question 11

Which of the following widows are likely to suffer the most from the death of her spouse?

A) a woman in a traditional marriage
B) a woman with a college degree
C) a woman who was involved in community organizations
D) a woman who had an active social life

Question 12

Which of the following is an aspect of the process,in contrast to the structure,of friendship relationships?

A) the size of the friendship network
B) the proportion of friends that know one another
C) how similar the network members are
D) the activities conducted

Question 13

Research findings regarding marriage show

A) marriage is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease for men.
B) the longevity advantage of marriage is greater among women than men.
C) elderly couples are less financially stable than elderly singles.
D) widowed women are at less risk for a fatal cardiovascular event than married women.

Question 14

Studies of the effects of retirement on marriage shows

A) retirement generally enhances marital satisfaction for the wife and reduces it for the husband.
B) marital conflict is more likely to occur if the wife is still employed.
C) most women report their housework decreases because household division of labor becomes more equitable.
D) women are dissatisfied if their husband begins to assume their traditional roles, such as cooking.

Question 15

Recent research on retirement suggests

A) retirement is a life crisis.
B) retirement is a process.
C) adjustment is harder for people who voluntarily rather than involuntarily retired.
D) Type B personalities are more likely to retire involuntarily.

Question 16

Research indicates which of the following regarding widowhood?

A) Widowhood increases contact between siblings.
B) Friends can offer useful support by not trying to speed recovery and a new identity for the recent widow.
C) Most widows do not lean heavily on anyone for managing basic tasks of daily living until they are in advanced age or poor health.
D) Independence and self-sufficiency will not cause social isolation.

Question 17

Lopata identified 4 stages of widowhood.Which of the following is not one of them?

A) episodes of crying
B) recognition of the event
C) re-engagement
D) temporary withdrawal

Question 18

Studies of caregiving for a spouse found

A) caregiving of a spouse with cognitive impairment can demonstrate a gift of love that is deeply satisfying for both parties.
B) feelings of emotional closeness inevitably declined with a functional impairment such as incontinence.
C) spouses were more effective caregivers of spouses with a cognitive impairment if they were not as emotionally close to the spouse.
D) stress was less in caring for chronically ill, than acutely ill, spouses.

Question 19

Of the over 65 population in the U.S.,_______ are married and live with a spouse.

A) one-fourth
B) almost one-third
C) just under half
D) just above two-thirds

Question 20

Marital satisfaction tends to

A) gradually decline after the early years of marriage.
B) increase through middle-age and then decrease as couples enter old age.
C) decline after the early years, level off in the middle years, and increase during the post-retirement years.
D) increase during the early years, level off in the middle years, and then increase even beyond the early years after retirement.

Question 21

According to Sheehy,the ________________,characterized by fierce competition,individualism,and hard work,challenged gender roles and shifted the rules for marriage and sexuality.

A) WWII generation (those between the ages of 16 to 19 from 1937 to 1944)
B) "Vietnam generation"
C) "me generation" (born 1956 to 1965)
D) "endangered generation" (born 1966 to 1980)

Question 22

In their studies of sexuality,Masters and Johnson found that as men age

A) it takes longer for them to get an erection.
B) the erection is more firm.
C) ejaculation is more forceful.
D) the erection lasts longer after ejaculation.

Question 23

In the Duke Longitudinal Study,

A) the number of elders who were sexually active decreased substantially over the ten year period.
B) about half of the people who survived into their 80s and 90s reported having sexual interest.
C) actual sexual activity was about equal to sexual interest for most elders.
D) in about 35 percent of the sample, sexual activity increased over the 10 year period.

Question 24

Elder never-married singles

A) tend to be unhappy and lonely.
B) report parallel levels of life satisfaction with married persons.
C) have more close friends than married elders.
D) almost always wish they were married and feel they have missed out on something.

Question 25

From his classic and landmark studies of sexuality,Kinsey concluded that

A) until about age 80, sexual desires increase.
B) rate of sexual activity gradually declines with age.
C) sexual activity for married couples peaks about age 40 then progressively declines.
D) sexual desire was unrelated to age.

Question 26

At any age which health problems interfere with sexual function?

A) colds and depression
B) diabetes, alcoholism, and anxiety
C) knee and hip replacements
D) arthritis

Question 27

The teachings of St.Augustine in Christian Catholicism was associated with all of the following EXCEPT

A) the sex act was considered an expression of love and source of pleasure.
B) a man's masculinity was measured by the number of children he fathered.
C) a woman's femininity was measured by her ability to bear children.
D) an association between sexuality and procreation.

Question 28

Masters and Johnson found in their study of sexuality that older women

A) have a larger clitoris.
B) have larger vaginal canals.
C) have thick vaginal walls.
D) take longer to lubricate.

Question 29

For the elderly person who is remarried,the risk of that marriage ending in divorce is _____ times that of an elderly person who is in his or her first marriage.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 5
D) 10

Question 30

Which of the following illustrates gender differences upon the loss of a spouse?

A) Males become more aware and appreciative of friends and relationships.
B) Males are more likely than females to be "in search of themselves."
C) Females are more likely than males to be "in search of others."
D) Females become less confident and more dependent.

Question 31

At the end of the 19ᵗʰ century,the average length of marriage when one spouse died was 28 years; now it is over ________ years.

A) 34
B) 45
C) 53
D) 60

Question 32

Medications for what ailment in men commonly causes sexual dysfunction?

A) heart disease
B) arthritis
C) hypertension
D) diabetes

Question 33

Sexuality of older people is largely invisible for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) for many older people, sex and sexuality are intensely private matters.
B) our cultural focus on youth and that which is not young or new is no longer functional.
C) the majority of older people have lost the desire and physiological capacity to have sex.
D) suggestions of sex among elders is received with derision, condescension, humor, or shock.

Question 34

Research on sexuality shows

A) sexual identity is static over the life course.
B) sexuality is more about satisfying biological drives than loving and bonding.
C) sexual relationships in later life are similar regardless of culture or age cohort.
D) sexuality is central to our lives even in chronic illness or death of a spouse.

Question 35

A study of body attitudes and self-esteem found

A) Self-esteem of the young and old was based predominantly on their body image.
B) Body image was unrelated to self-esteem.
B) Men and women with good self-esteem also had good body attitudes regardless of age.
C) Almost all elderly were ashamed of their body image, regardless of self-esteem.

Question 36

In _______ of all married-couple households,at least one spouse had a previous marriage that ended in divorce or widowhood.

A) 1/8
B) 1/4
C) 1/3
D) 1/2

Question 37

Studies of remarriages among older people show

A) remarriage among elders are unlikely to be successful.
B) there is an increased use of prenuptial agreements in elder remarriages.
C) remarried elders have problems coping with the strain of being stepparents.
D) remarriage fails to provide the steady and caring companionship of first marriages.

Question 38

According to Cain,a longer marriage for divorced older adults contributed to what?

A) post divorce despair and slow recovery
B) pre divorce despair
C) speedy recovery and newfound friends
D) quick remarriage

Question 39

Studies show that nursing homes can address sexuality by doing what?

A) improving privacy and educating staff
B) restricting male and female contact
C) constructing a policy regarding it
D) enforcing rules about public displays of affection

Question 40

By 2010,the proportion of people 65 or over who have been divorced is projected to be ________ percent.

A) 25
B) 35
C) 50
D) 70

Question 41

Ascribed relationships are chosen networks and non-kin relations.

Question 42

Greater knowledge about sexuality and later life is associated with more permissive sexual attitudes.

Question 43

How does retirement affect marriage,according to the research studies mentioned in your text?

Question 44

Reorganization of the life of the widow begins immediately after the funeral of the deceased spouse.

Question 45

The Kinsey study of sexuality has been criticized for its cross-sectional methodology that compares old people raised in conservative times with young people raised in more permissive times.

Question 46

Why is divorce a particularly difficult event for older people today?

Question 47

A friend is an achieved relationship.

Question 48

Studies cited in your text showed that post-divorce and despair was greater the longer the marriage.

Question 49

Family sociologists agree that wives experience greater difficulty in coping with the death of a spouse.

Question 50

Studies show no elderly live together without being married.

Question 51

Christian Catholicism embodies that idea of sex for young adults as well as elders.

Question 52

.Masters and Johnson found that although advanced aging causes slower body processes,older couples feel as though sexual intimacy shouldn't cease.

Question 53

Remarriage is a strong way of building kin networks.

Question 54

Explain how the effects of widowhood differ by gender.

Question 55

Why is the sexuality of older people largely invisible?

Question 56

The silent generation is the last modern generation to respect the authority of American institutions.

Question 57

Explain how loss of a spouse may affect older women and factors that influence their adjustment to widowhood.

Question 58

According to Taylor and Brown,positive illusions about their support networks assisted widows in adapting.

Question 59

Because of homophobia and discrimination,most older lesbians say they regret their sexual orientation.

Question 60

There is more support today for divorced than widowed elders.

Question 61

What can nursing homes do to foster healthy sexual expression among their residents?

Question 62

How does sexuality of men and women change with aging according to the research reported in your text?

Question 63

What factors make aging a particularly difficult time for gay men and lesbians?