Gender, sexuality and aging in occupational therapy

Abstract

Gender and sexuality are components of human identity and occupational participation. Few studies in Occupational Therapy from Latin America have considered these aspects, particularly in the aging phase. The aim of this study was to identify the relationships between gender, sexuality and aging in Occupational Therapy publications in within Latin American. A scope review was carried out, with search strategies in the following databases: Virtual Health Library (VHL), Web of Science, Scielo, PubMed and OTdatabase; and in 11 Occupational Therapy journals. Using the next key words gender, sexuality, old age and aging, articles published in Spanish and Portuguese were considered, with the keywords in the titles and/or summary and/or descriptors. Therefore, 51 articles were identified and only one was included in this investigation. The article addresses the relationship between sexuality and old age, proposes a critical review of the topic and elaborates axes for the practice in occupational therapy. The scope review revealed that there are limited articles that address gender and sexuality of older people. Which demonstrates the need further research to improve Occupational Therapy services and its epistemological production.