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. 2014 Oct 29;69(Suppl 2):S83–S98. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbu072

Table 1.

NSHAP Wave 2 Sexuality-Related Questions

New in W2 or in Both W1 and W2 Questions (all were asked of all respondents unless noted otherwise in the Special Rule column) Mode Special Rule
Neuroendocrine model of sexuality: five components
  Sensori-motor
Both  During the last 12 months (If not current partner: During your relationship), about how often did you have sex with [current/ recent partner]? (Sensori-motor) (W1: oftsex_1; oftsex_2. W2: oftsex2) CAPI a
New (1) When you had sex with [current/recent partner] in the last 12 months, how often did your partner touch your genitals with (his/her) hands? (Sensori-motor) (tchhandprt) CAPI b
Both   When you had sex with [current/recent partner] in the last 12 months, how often did (he/she) perform oral sex on you? Was it … (PROMPT: By oral sex we mean stimulating the genitals with the mouth, that is, your partner licking or kissing your genitals.) (Sensori-motor) (W1: oralsexr_1; oralsexr_2. W2: oralsexr) CAPI b
Both   When you had sex with [current/recent partner] in the last 12 months, how often did your activities include vaginal intercourse? (PROMPT: By vaginal intercourse, we mean when a man’s penis is inside a woman’s vagina.) (Sensori-motor) (W1: visex_1; visex_2. W2: visex) CAPI b,c
Both   In the last 12 months, how often did you feel sexually aroused (“turned on”) during sexual activity with [current/recent partner]? (Sensori-motor) (W1: aroused_1; aroused_2. W2: aroused) CAPI b
Both   In the last 12 months, how often did you have a sensation of pulsating or tingling in your vagina/genital area during sexual activity with [current/recent partner] (women only)(Sensori-motor) (W1: tingling_1; tingling_2. W2: tingling) CAPI b, d
Both   Sexual difficulties: Introduction: Sometimes people go through periods in which they are not interested in sex or are having trouble with sexual gratification. We have just a few questions about whether during the last 12 months there has ever been a period of several months or more when you…
Both   lacked interest in having sex? (Proceptive/Sensori-motor) (W1: lacksex_1; lacksex_2. W2: lacksex) CAPI
Both   were unable to climax (experience an orgasm)? (Sensori-motor) (W1: noclmax_1; noclmax_2. W2: noclmax) CAPI
Both   came to a climax (experienced orgasm) too quickly? (Sensori-motor) (W1: clmaxqk_1; clmaxqk_2. W2: clmaxqk) CAPI
Both   experienced physical pain during intercourse? (Sensori-motor) (W1: sexpain_1; sexpain_2. W2: sexpain) CAPI
Both   did not find sex pleasurable (even if it was not painful)? (Sensori-motor) (W1: sexnopl_1; sexnopl_2. W2: sexnopl) CAPI
Both   felt anxious just before having sex about your ability to perform sexually? (Sensori-motor) (W1: anxbsex_1; anxbsex_2. W2: anxbsex) CAPI
Both   had trouble getting or maintaining an erection? (men only) (Sensori-motor) (W1: noerect_1; noerect_2. W2: noerect) CAPI e
Both   had trouble lubricating? (women only) (Sensori-motor) (W1: lubrcte_1; lubrcte_2. W2: lubrcte) CAPI d
Both  If respondent said yes to one or more items: How much did this/these problems bother you? (W1: See Wave 1 documentation for variable list. W2: probbother) CAPI f
Both  If respondent said yes to one or more items: During the past 12 months, have you ever avoided sex because of the problem(s) you mentioned? (W1: avoidsex_1; avoidsex_2. W2: avoidsex) CAPI f
Both  If respondent said yes to one or more items: Have you ever talked with [current partner] about the problem(s) you mentioned? (W1: sptlkptr_1; sptlkptr_2. W2: sptalkptr) CAPI f, g
  Salience/Valence
New (2) How often do you find someone you don’t know such as people in movies, television, books, or strangers on the street physically attractive? (Salience/Valence) (dknowattrack ) CAPI
  Attractivity
New (3 and 4) In the past month, how much effort have you made to make yourself look attractive to (3) your partner? (4, if no partner) someone you find attractive? (Attraction) (effort_prtnr; effort_oth) LBQ h,i
  Receptivity
New (5) When your partner wants to have sex with you, how often do you agree? (Receptive) (agreesex) CAPI g
Both   In the past 12 months, how often did you have sex primarily because you felt obligated or that it was your duty?~ (Receptive) (W1: sex_oblig. W2: sex_oblig) LBQ
  Proceptivity/Solicitation
Both  During the past 12 months, would you say you had sex: Much more often than you would like, somewhat more often than you would like, about as often as you would like, somewhat less often than you would like, much less often than you would like? (Proceptive/Receptive) (W1: oftsexok_1; oftsexok_2. W2: oftsexok2) CAPI to LBQ
Both  About how often do you think about sex? (Proceptive) (W1 and W2: thinksex) CAPI and LBQ to CAPI
Both  For some people sex is a very important part of their lives and for others it is not very important at all. How important a part of your life would you say that sex is? (Proceptive) (W1: seximprt. W2: seximprt) CAPI and LBQ to LBQ
Both  Masturbation is a very common practice. By masturbation, we mean stimulating your genitals (sex organs) for sexual pleasure, not with a sexual partner. On average, in the past 12 months how often did you masturbate? (Proceptive) (W1: mastbate W2: mstbate) SAQ
Both  During the last 12 months, has there ever been a period of several months or more when you lacked interest in having sex? (Proceptive) (This item appears with the sexual difficulties items) (W1: lacksex_1; lacksex_1. W2: lacksex) CAPI
Both  You mentioned before that you last had sex in (month/year). What are the reasons you haven’t had sexual activity since then? Choose all that apply. You are not interested (Proceptive) (W1: whynosex_1. W2: whynosex2_1/2/2h/3/4/9/15) CAPI and LBQ to CAPI j
  Context of sexual experience
New (6) For some people, their sexual enjoyment is affected by non-sexual things that their partner does before having sex, such as helping out, compliments or sharing activities. For others it is not important at all. Given how important such things are for your enjoyment of sex, how often did they happen during the past 12 months? (sex_nonsex) LBQ h
New (7) During the past 12 months, when you had sex, was the amount of time you and your partner spent kissing, hugging, and touching before having vaginal intercourse:(presextch) LBQ h
  Sexual satisfaction
New (8) To what extent do you feel your sex life is lacking in quality? (sex_qualty) LBQ
Both   How physically pleasurable did/do you find your relationship with (him/her) to be? (W1: pleasure_1; pleasure_2. W2: pleasure) CAPI a
Both   How emotionally satisfying did/do you find your relationship with (him/her) to be? (W1: emtsatfy_1l emtsatfy_2. W2: emtsatfy) CAPI a
  Physical contact
Appeal Introduction: “Some people like being physically touched by people they are close to, while others do not. How appealing or pleasant do you find the following ways of being touched?”
New (9) Being touched lightly, such as someone putting a hand on your arm (touched) LBQ
New (10) Hugging (hugging) LBQ
New (11) Cuddling (cuddle) LBQ
New (12) Sexual Touching (sextuch) LBQ
  Frequency
New (13) How often have you and your partner shared caring touch, such as a hug, sitting or lying cuddled up, a neck rub or holding hands? (touch_prtnr) LBQ h
New (14) [Other than your partner] H/how often have you and a person, such as a friend, grandchild, or another adult, shared caring touch, such as a greeting hug, a touch on the arm, or a neck rub? (touch_oth) LBQ
New (15) How often have you pet, stroked, touched, or slept next to a cat, dog, or other pet? (touchpet2) LBQ
Both   In the past month, how often did you sleep in the same bed with your spouse or romantic partner? (W1: samebed. W2: samebed2) LBQ h
  Sexual history
Both  Relationship type (W1 & W2: maritlst) CAPI
Both  Lifetime number of male/female sex partners (W1: MENSEX; WOMENSEX. W2: mensex; womensex) SAQ
New   Age at puberty, prepubertal sexual contact, age at first sex, wantedness of first sex (puage; befpage; firstsex; firstsex_exp) CAPI

Notes . Items referred to in the text are numbered and bolded for ease of reference. If the mode is described as CAPI to LBQ, it means that the question was in CAPI in Wave 1 and was in the LBQ in Wave 2. If the mode is described as CAPI and LBQ to CAPI, it means that the question was in both CAPI and the LBQ in Wave 1 (respondents were randomized to receive it in one or the other) and it was in CAPI in Wave 2. If the mode is described as CAPI and LBQ to LBQ, it means that the question was in both CAPI and LBQ in Wave 1 (respondents were randomized to receive it in one or the other) and it was in the LBQ in Wave 2. SAQ = Self Administered Questionnaire.

aThe oftsex2, pleasure, and emtsatfy questions were only asked of those who provided a name for their most recent sexual partner.

bThe tchhandprt, oralsexr, visex, aroused, and tingling questions were only asked of those who did not answer “none at all” to oftsex2 and had an intimate partner (i.e., were either married/living with a partner [maritlst = 1 and maritlst = 2] or reported a romantic/intimate/sexual partner [spartner = 1]).

cThe visex question was not asked of those whose partner was the same sex as the respondent.

dThe tingling and lubrcte questions were only asked of women.

eThe noerect question was only asked of men.

fThe probbother, avoidsex, and sptalkptr questions were only asked of those who answered yes to one or more of lacksex, noclmax, clmaxqk, sexpain, sexnopl, anxbsex, noerect, or lubrcte.

gThe sptalkptr and agreesex questions were only asked of those with an intimate partner (i.e., who were either married/living with a partner [maritlst = 1 and maritlst = 2] or reported a romantic/intimate/sexual partner [spartner = 1]).

hThe effort_prtnr, sex_nonsex, presextch, touch_prtnr, and samebed2 questions were only asked of those who received the partner version of the LBQ.

iThe effort_oth question was only asked of those who received the no-partner version of the LBQ.

jThe whynosex2_ question was only asked of those who had not had sex in the past 3 months. Note that in addition to “I was not interested,” another answer option provided for all respondents who had not had sex in the past 3 months was “Other.” Other answer options provided only for respondents with an intimate partner (i.e. those who were either married/living with a partner [maritlst = 1 and maritlst = 2] or reported a romantic/intimate/sexual partner [spartner = 1]) were “Your partner is not interested,” “Physical health problems or physical limitations you have,” and “Physical health problems or physical limitations your partner has.” Other answer options provided only for respondents without an intimate partner were “You have not met the right person,” and “Your religious beliefs do not allow sex outside of marriage.” Respondents could choose more than one option.