Back on the market: Understanding condom use behaviour in heterosexual adults 50 years+

Older adults began their sexual lives with an unprecedented sense of freedom thanks to the development of the contraceptive pill and women’s liberation movement. However with divorce rates rising and marriage rates declining, older adults are increasingly ‘back on the market’. This is also accompanied by a rise in the incidence of sexually transmitted infections that could be prevented by using a condom. The current literature on condom use typically has a youth focus and in particular an emphasis on contraception. Given the differing nature of sexual encounters for older consumers, there is a need for alternative explanations of condom use behaviour that reflect key motivations and barriers in this age cohort. Therefore we propose a new conceptual model to explain heterosexual older adult condom-use behaviour by drawing on two theoretical frameworks; protection motivation theory and sexual scripting theory. The new framework contains four categories of factors; sexuality, gender roles, threat appraisal and coping appraisal.