The Impact of Socio-Cultural Factors on Symptom Formation

Keep, P. A. van; Kellerhals, Jean

doi:10.1159/000286648

Cited by 72 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…showing null effects (Ballinger, 1975;Greene & Cooke, 1980;Hallstrom & Samuelsson, 1985;Hunter etal., 1986;Jaszmann, van Lith, & Zaat, 1969;Matthews et al, in press;McKinlay et al, 1987aMcKinlay et al, , 1987bvan Keep & Kellerhals, 1974). Why might we have obtained null effects (and a trend for a few positive effects) on diverse indices of psychological function in contrast with other studies?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Influences of natural menopause on psychological characteristics and symptoms of middle-aged healthy women.

Matthews¹,

Wing²,

Kuller³

et al. 1990

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

216

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We investigated the psychological and symptom consequences of the natural menopause in a longitudinal study of 541 initially premenopausal healthy women. All women were given an extensive evaluation at baseline. After 3 years of follow-up, 69 women ceased cycling for 12 months; another 32 women had ceased cycling and had taken hormone replacement therapy for a total of 12 months. These women were reevaluated in a clinic examination identical with the baseline examination, as were 101 age-matched premenopausal control women. Comparison among groups at the baseline and follow-up examination showed that natural menopause led to few changes in psychological characteristics, with only a decline in introspectiveness and an increase in reports of hot flashes being apparent. We conclude that natural menopause did not have negative mental health consequences for the majority of middle-aged healthy women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Influences of natural menopause on psychological characteristics and symptoms of middle-aged healthy women.

Matthews¹,

Wing²,

Kuller³

et al. 1990

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

216

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show abstract

“…This conflicts with some previous reports that women with lower incomes have more negative attitudes toward menopause. 11,42 However, others have suggested that African-American families interact within their kinship network to a greater extent, 43 and that extended family systems are related to improved status or ability to cope with stressors in middle age. 9,21 Meanwhile, the African-American women viewed medical intervention consistently neutrally to slightly negatively and appeared equally satisfied with their health care in spite of an absence of discussion of symptoms or of HRT.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ovarian Aging and Hormone Replacement Therapy: Hormonal Levels, Symptoms, and Attitudes of African-American and White Women

1997

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OBJECTIVES: To characterize reproductive hormone levels, symptoms, and attitudes related to menopause among healthy, menstruating white and African-American women aged 44 to 49 years. DESIGN: Pilot study; cross-sectional survey.SETTING: Community-based convenience sample of women in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-three African-American and 35 white women. MEASUREMENTS:The survey instrument collected demographic data, medical and reproductive history, health practices and behaviors. It included previously validated function, depression, and quality-of-life instruments, and a Menopause Attitude Scale that included two factors, attitudes toward the menopause and attitudes toward medical therapy. Anthropometric measurements were taken at enrollment, and reproductive hormones and daily symptom logs were followed over two menstrual cycles. MAIN RESULTS:The two groups were comparable in mean age (African-American 46.2 years, white 46.9 years). Serum levels of estradiol, follicle-stimulating hormone, dihydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, and progesterone were comparable. Symptoms were similar in type and frequency. However, the African-American women had significantly more positive attitudes toward menopause, were more likely to rely on family for information about menopause, and were less likely to have been recommended hormone replacement therapy by their physicians. A majority of women in each group expressed satisfaction with the care they had received. CONCLUSIONS: Perimenopausal African-American and white women have different expectations of menopause and the role of medical care in menopause. This bears directly on women's acceptance of hormone replacement therapy. Conclusions are limited by the small sample size and convenience nature of the study population: further work with larger samples is needed to confirm these apparent differences. KEY WORDS: menopause; hormone replacement therapy; African-American women, white women, attitudes. J GEN INTERN MED 1997;12:230-236.he decline of ovarian function among women in their thirties and forties has been implicated in the development of physiologic changes that are widely observed a decade later, including body mass and composition, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and psychological distress. Existing data regarding normal reproductive aging derive primarily from white, reproductive-age women with infertility, 1 postmenopausal women, 2 or small clinical samples of women seeking medical treatment. 3,4 It is not known whether the pattern of hormonal changes are similar in African-American and white women. African-American women have higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, 5,6 but lower rates of osteoporosis and vertebral or hip fractures. 7,8 Several studies have shown that menopausal symptoms vary across cultural groups 9,10 and socioeconomic strata 9,11,12 and can be linked to differing societal attitudes toward women's changing roles during and after menopause. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] The overall prevalence of aff...

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“…The first two theories are related to declining estrogen levels but differ in the directness of the effect. The first theory is the symptom or domino hypothesis which posits that depressed mood is caused by vasomotor symptoms and sleep disturbances associated with declining estrogen levels (Campbell & Whitehead, 1977; van Keep & Kelherhals, 1974). This theory has been referred to as the domino hypothesis in that vasomotor instability leads to chronic sleep deprivation, which in turn leads to irritability and depression (Schmidt & Rubinow, 1991).…”

Section: Theories Of Menopause and Moodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression During the Menopausal Transition

Avis

2003

Psychology of Women Quarterly

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The perception that menopause leads to mood disturbances such as depression has a long history. How did these beliefs come about, and are they supported by the scientific literature? This article reviews the theories of menopause and depression, the scientific literature, and the implications of these findings for prevention and treatment. Epidemiologic studies of menopausal status and depression do not provide consistent evidence of an association between the menopausal transition and depression among the general population of women. Depression experienced by women transitioning through menopause may be attributed to factors unrelated to menopause. A subset of women, however, may be more vulnerable to the effects of hormonal changes. For some women, short‐term estrogen replacement therapy to relieve vasomotor symptoms may be beneficial, although for others psychotherapy or antidepressants may be more appropriate. Additional research is needed to better understand the association between different stages of the menopausal transition and dysphoric mood or depression, and better identification of women potentially at risk for depression during the menopausal transition.

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The Impact of Socio-Cultural Factors on Symptom Formation

Cited by 72 publications

References 0 publications

Influences of natural menopause on psychological characteristics and symptoms of middle-aged healthy women.

Influences of natural menopause on psychological characteristics and symptoms of middle-aged healthy women.

Ovarian Aging and Hormone Replacement Therapy: Hormonal Levels, Symptoms, and Attitudes of African-American and White Women

Depression During the Menopausal Transition

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