| Course | CCOU 305 Issues in Human Sexuality (CCOU305) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 3 |
| Assignment | DB Forum 3 |
| Paper type | Discussion thread and replies |
| Length | about 774 words (thread and replies). Course guide: per the course guide, a thread of 350 words demonstrating course-related knowledge and replies to 2 classmates of 200 words each that include course materials or external research with APA citations and references |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 70 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Psychology |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 3 in Liberty's published CCOU 305 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for CCOU 305 Week 3
Discussion Board Forum 3: Thread and Two Replies
CCOU 305 Issues in Human Sexuality, Discussion Board Forum 3 (thread and two replies)
Thread by [Student Name]
The prompt and the classmates' posts are composites standing in for the course's own forum; the textbook, Scripture and published studies are real; the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for CCOU 305.
Thread
Many people, including many older adults themselves, assume that sexual intimacy simply fades with age. Research gives a more hopeful and more complicated picture. Lindau et al. (2007) drew a nationally representative sample of 3,005 Americans between 57 and 85 and found that partnered sexual activity in the past year became less common with age but did not disappear, with 73 percent of the youngest group, 57 to 64, still active, 53 percent of those 65 to 74 and 26 percent of those 75 to 85. Women were less likely than men to report activity at every age, and about half of sexually active adults of both sexes reported at least one bothersome sexual problem. Adults who rated their health more highly were more likely to be sexually active, and relatively few of those with problems had discussed them with a physician.
Summarizing research on adults past 50, DeLamater (2012) concluded that many stay sexually active well into their seventies and eighties, that the body's changes with age need not mean a decline in sexual function, and that health of body and mind, a hopeful attitude toward late-life sexuality and a partner in good health all predict that intimacy continues.
For a counselor, these findings suggest three ways to help older couples. First, information: many couples do not know that common changes are normal and often treatable, and a referral to a physician may address a problem they had assumed was permanent. Second, attention to health, since illness, surgery and medications affect intimacy as much as age. Third, a broader view of intimacy, including touch, affection and time together, that the Penners describe throughout their book as part of a couple's sexual relationship (Penner & Penner, 2003).
The research suggests that the question for an older couple is less whether intimacy can continue than how it can change and still be shared. Proverbs calls a husband to rejoice in the wife of his youth and to be delighted with her love always, a call that does not expire with age (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 5:18-19).
Classmates: what would make an older couple comfortable raising this topic with a counselor?
Reply to Melissa
Melissa, your thread focused on couples in the first year after a baby arrives, and you argued that many couples are unprepared for how much their sexual relationship changes. Research supports you. Barrett et al. (2000) surveyed first-time mothers at a London hospital six months after delivery and found that, although 89 percent had resumed sexual activity by six months, 83 percent reported sexual problems in the first three months after the birth, declining to 64 percent at six months, still well above the 38 percent who reported problems before pregnancy. Pain during intercourse in the early months was associated with vaginal delivery and with having experienced such pain before.
These numbers suggest that couples should be told in advance that sexual problems after a birth are common and usually improve over months, not weeks. A counselor or pastor preparing couples for parenthood could normalize the change, encourage patience and closeness in other forms, and urge couples to speak with a physician if pain persists. The Penners' emphasis on affection and communication applies with special force in this season (Penner & Penner, 2003).
Do you think couples hear this kind of information more readily from medical providers or from counselors and pastors?
Reply to Tyler
Tyler, your thread argued that body image can undermine intimacy, especially for spouses who compare themselves with images in media, and that couples rarely talk about it. A large review supports your concern. One review (Woertman & van den Brink, 2012) compiled data from 57 studies on body image and sexuality among healthy women and concluded that body image concerns can affect every domain of sexual functioning. Self-consciousness during intimacy seemed to be a key factor: negative thoughts about one's body interfered with sexual response and experience, and were linked to avoiding intimacy.
This suggests that a counselor might address body image directly, helping a spouse notice and challenge self-critical thoughts, and helping the other spouse express genuine appreciation. The Song of Solomon offers a striking model: the lovers praise each other's bodies in detail and with delight (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Song of Solomon 4:1-7), which suggests that affirming words are part of a healthy marriage. The review's own limit is worth noting too: its studies were of women, mostly young and in Western countries, so a counselor should be cautious in applying its findings to every client.
Do you think men's body image concerns receive enough attention in counseling, since most of the research has focused on women?
References
Barrett, G., Pendry, E., Peacock, J., Victor, C., Thakar, R., & Manyonda, I. (2000). Women's sexual health after childbirth. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 107(2), 186-195. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2000.tb11689.x
DeLamater, J. (2012). Sexual expression in later life: A review and synthesis. The Journal of Sex Research, 49(2-3), 125-141. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2011.603168
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
Lindau, S. T., Schumm, L. P., Laumann, E. O., Levinson, W., O'Muircheartaigh, C. A., & Waite, L. J. (2007). A study of sexuality and health among older adults in the United States. The New England Journal of Medicine, 357(8), 762-774. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa067423
Penner, C. L., & Penner, J. J. (2003). The gift of sex: A guide to sexual fulfillment (Rev. ed.). W Publishing Group.
Woertman, L., & van den Brink, F. (2012). Body image and female sexual functioning and behavior: A review. The Journal of Sex Research, 49(2-3), 184-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2012.658586
What the CCOU 305 Week 3 instructions ask
With no other graded work in Module/Week 3 of CCOU 305, this 70-point forum is the week's whole task, paired with chapters 10 to 15 of Penner and Penner and four presentations. The format holds steady: a 350-word thread that answers the prompt from the reading, then a pair of 200-word replies to classmates that cite course materials or outside research with APA references. Module/Week 4 brings Exam 2, on Modules/Weeks 3 and 4, together with the first part of the book critique, which gives students a reason to read this module's chapters carefully now and to keep notes on the research they find for the replies, since the critique will need scholarly sources of its own.
How this CCOU 305 Week 3 example is built
The thread opens with a common assumption, that sexual intimacy fades with age, and tests it against a national probability survey that reports the share of older adults who are sexually active at each age and the problems they report. A review of research on later life adds that health, positive attitudes and a healthy partner predict continued sexual expression. The thread then describes how a counselor might help an older couple, through information, attention to health and a broader view of intimacy, and connects this to Proverbs and the Penners. Each reply responds to a classmate's life stage with a published study and a practical suggestion, then asks a question.
CCOU 305 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
Forum 3's grade depends on understanding of the module, on threads of 350 words and replies of 200, and on replies that support their points with cited readings or research. Threads score best when they pick a single stage of married life, describe what changes in it using real findings and say how a counselor could help, instead of touching every stage lightly. Replies score best when they bring evidence about the classmate's chosen stage and add a practical step. Graders also want every statistic tied to its source and sample. Respectful, professional wording and careful use of Scripture complete the assessment.
CCOU 305 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Life-stage threads work best when they pick one stage and go deep. Choose a stage with solid, recent research behind it, such as the months after childbirth, the years of raising children or later life, and report specific findings, with the sample and the numbers, rather than general impressions. Then move to counseling: what information, attitudes or habits would help couples in that stage? Use professional, clinical language, since the topic calls for it. In replies, look for a study on the classmate's stage and add one practical suggestion that follows from it. Proverbs, the Song of Solomon and the Penners all speak to intimacy over time and are natural sources for integration, as long as they are tied to the stage you chose.
Related CCOU 305 sample papers
Other CCOU 305 weeks
- CCOU 305 Week 1: Forum 1: Biblical View of Sexuality
- CCOU 305 Week 2: Forum 2: Models of Sexual Response
- CCOU 305 Week 5: Interview With a Counselor
- CCOU 305 Week 6: Forum 4: Pornography and Marriage
CCOU 305 Week 3 questions, answered
What is CCOU 305 DB Forum 3?
CCOU 305's third discussion, worth 70 points in Module/Week 3, asks how couples can keep intimacy alive through a stage of life, drawing on chapters 10 to 15 of the Penners.
Where can I find a free CCOU 305 Week 3 sample paper?
This page shows a complete CCOU 305 Week 3 forum on sexual intimacy in later life, with replies on the months after childbirth and on body image.
Do older adults remain sexually active?
Many do; in a national sample of 3,005 adults, the share reporting partnered sexual activity in the past year went from 73 percent at 57 to 64, to 53 percent at 65 to 74 and 26 percent at 75 to 85.
How does childbirth affect a couple's sexual relationship?
In a London study of first-time mothers, 83 percent reported sexual problems in the first three months after birth, falling to 64 percent at six months.
Does body image affect sexual functioning?
A review of 57 studies concluded that body image concerns can affect all domains of women's sexual functioning, with self-consciousness during intimacy a key factor.
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