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Menstrual cycle symptom reporting in three British ethnic groups
O B van den Akker1, F F Eves, S Service
1Department of Nursing Studies, Medical School, University of Birmingham, England.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|May 1, 1995
Summary
Caucasian women reported significantly more menstrual symptoms than Afro-Caribbean or Oriental women. This suggests learned behaviors, not underlying traits, influence symptom reporting during the menstrual cycle.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Women's Health
Background:
- Menstrual cycle symptom reporting can be influenced by cultural factors.
- Previous research has not fully explored ethnic differences in symptom reporting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of learned or culturally prescribed behaviors on symptom reporting across different menstrual cycle phases.
- To compare premenstrual and menstrual symptom reporting among British ethnic groups.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 48 Afro-Caribbean, 73 Caucasian, and 32 Oriental women.
- Administered Positive/Negative Affectivity scale, retrospective premenstrual symptom assessment, and daily symptom diaries over 35 days.
Main Results:
- Caucasian women reported significantly higher symptomatology premenstrually and menstrually compared to other groups.
- Elevated reporting in Caucasians was specific to psychological mood, body symptoms, and pain subscales.
- No significant differences were found between groups for intermenstrual symptom reports or Negative Affectivity.
Conclusions:
- Learned or culturally influenced variables likely play a significant role in menstrual symptom reporting.
- Response bias or underlying traits do not fully explain the observed ethnic differences in reporting.
- Further research into learning variables influencing menstrual symptom perception and reporting is warranted.