Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
A Comparative Study of Menopausal Hot Flashes and Their Psychosocial Factors in Taiwan and the United States
Chung H. Chen, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| Learning Objective #1: identify factors that might predispose women to hot flashes. |
| Learning Objective #2: understand the variability in hot flashes experienced during menopausal transition and its relationship with social and cultural contexts. |
The main purpose of this study is to compare the severity of hot flashes and its related factors in Taiwan and the United States. One hundred and one women between the ages of 45 and 60 living in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, and 121 women with the same age living in Seattle City, USA, were recruited by means of convenience sample. We found that marriage status, living arrangement, education, employment status, age and number of children achieved significant differences between two groups. American women reported higher severity, frequency and daily interference of hot flash than Taiwanese women. Compared to Taiwanese women in terms of hot flash related psychosocial status, American women reported more depressed, lower state/trait anger, and more positive attitude toward aging. The top three mean ranks of menopause symptoms for American women were hot flashes, night sweats and feeling tired; for Taiwanese women were hot flashes, neck pain, and feeling tired. In hot-flashes related daily interference, the top three mean ranks were sleep, mood and concentration for both groups. In coping strategies, the top three mean ranks were「I fan myself or open a window or turn on air conditioner」,「I remove some items of clothing」, and 「I relax」for both groups. For American women, the best subsets to predict the criterion variable of hot flashes related daily interference were coping strategies and general menopause symptoms. For Taiwanese women, the best subsets to predict the criterion variable of hot flash related daily interference were coping strategies, general menopause symptoms, state/trait anxiety, feeling angry and age. With comprehensive measures of hot flashes and their psychosocial factors, results of our study can contribute to knowledge development on variability in hot flashes experienced during menopausal transition and its relationship with social and cultural contexts.