Cross-cultural comparisons

Obermeyer, Carla Makhlouf; Sievert, Lynnette Leidy

doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e31809ff503

Cited by 20 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…3 Despite some differences, memory complaints among midlife women are high cross-culturally; in the Decisions at Menopause Study, over 45% of women living in Massachusetts, Madrid, and Beirut complained of memory loss, compared to 34% of women living in Rabat, Morocco. 4 …”

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Objective cognitive performance is related to subjective memory complaints in midlife women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms

Drogos

Rubin²,

Geller

et al. 2013

Menopause

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Objective Memory complaints increase as women transition from premenopausal to postmenopausal stages. We explored the extent to which subjective memory complaints were associated with objective cognitive test performance, affective symptoms, and menopausal symptoms in midlife women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms. We predicted that subjective memory complaints would be related to affective symptoms and lower performance on tests of memory and attention. Methods Sixty-eight midlife women (mean age = 53; 54% African American) with ≥ 35 hot flashes per week completed the Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ), a battery of objective cognitive tests, a menopausal symptom inventory and mood questionnaires. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine predictors (symptoms and objective cognitive scores) of ratings on each of four MFQ subscales and a validated, single-item rating of current memory. Results Negative affect and delayed verbal memory predicted a single-item rating of current memory. Negative affect and poorer scores on tests of attention and working memory predicted Frequency of Forgetting. Lower positive affect, higher vasomotor symptoms, and increased age predicted lower Retrospective Memory Functioning. Increased age predicted Use of Mnemonics. Conclusions These findings strengthen the growing body of evidence that women with memory complaints during the menopausal transition have an accurate appraisal of their memory function and that their complaints also relate to affect and to a lesser extent vasomotor symptoms. Given that cognitive performance was in the normal range, these findings suggest that women can detect subtle changes in memory performance during the transition.

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confidence: 99%

Objective cognitive performance is related to subjective memory complaints in midlife women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms

Drogos

Rubin²,

Geller

et al. 2013

Menopause

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“…Comparative studies across nations or cultures 29,30 are an important means to examine variation in the extent to which somatic symptoms express psychosocial distress, 12,15 how explanations for symptoms differ across populations, 31 and which somatic symptoms may represent better candidates for communicating depression and anxiety.…”

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confidence: 99%

Symptom clusters at midlife

Sievert

Obermeyer²

2012

Menopause

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Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and clustering of somatic symptoms as reported by women aged 45-55 years in four countries, to compare women's responses to open-ended questions with those derived from structured checklists, and to assess the extent to which bodily symptoms grouped with emotional complaints. Methods The Decisions at Menopause Study (DAMES) recruited 1,193 women from the general population in Beirut, Lebanon; Rabat, Morocco; Madrid, Spain; and central Massachusetts. Women participated in semi-structured interviews about health, menopause, and bodily changes at midlife. Women's responses to symptom checklists and their statements in response to open-ended questions were analyzed through factor analysis and textual analysis. Results There was considerable consistency between the frequencies of quantitative and qualitative responses, and the analyses of qualitative data illustrate the extent to which women associate somatic and emotional complaints. In open-ended responses, women in Massachusetts and Spain did not often cluster somatic symptoms together with emotional symptoms. In Morocco, dizziness, fatigue, and headaches were clustered with emotional symptoms. Women in Lebanon explicitly associated shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, gastro-intestinal complaints, headaches, and, to a lesser extent, joint pain and numbness with emotional symptoms. Conclusions The number of volunteered symptom responses was small because respondents were relatively healthy; however, the extent and pattern of association between somatic and emotional symptoms varied across sites. Certain somatic symptoms may be more likely to communicate psychosocial distress in particular cultures. These results have implications for patterns of health care utilization.

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Symptoms at midlife among women in Nagaland, India

Rülu

Sievert

Dhall

et al. 2020

American J Hum Biol

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Objectives This article highlights the prevalence of symptom frequencies in Nagaland, India, with a focus on depressed mood and hot flashes. We also examine how symptoms cluster together among Naga women and identify factors associated with symptom experience. We hypothesized an elevated frequency of depressed mood because of the stresses associated with social responsibilities within a patriarchal culture, and a low frequency of hot flashes because of the thinness of the population. Methods Standardized questionnaires with close‐ended questions were used to determine the frequency of symptoms and sociodemographic and health parameters among women aged 35 to 65 years (n = 352). Factor analysis was used to examine the relations among symptoms. Bivariate analyses and linear regressions were also employed to identify sociodemographic and health factors associated with symptoms. Results Menopausal symptoms, such as feeling dizzy or faint, anxiety or panic, and excitable, were significantly higher in premenopausal women; hot flashes in perimenopausal women; and feeling tired or lack in energy, headaches, difficulty in sleeping, and muscle or joint pain in postmenopausal women. Four symptom factors were identified: symptoms related to the loss of estradiol, psychosomatic symptoms, uneasiness, and depressed mood. After adjusting for menopausal status, socioeconomic status, education, and self‐reported health status, body mass index was observed to be inversely associated with the depressed mood factor but not other factors. Conclusion In the context of Nagaland, India, having extra weight may contribute to emotional well‐being; however, further research is warranted.

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Cross-cultural comparisons

Cited by 20 publications

References 23 publications

Objective cognitive performance is related to subjective memory complaints in midlife women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms

Objective cognitive performance is related to subjective memory complaints in midlife women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms

Symptom clusters at midlife

Symptoms at midlife among women in Nagaland, India

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