Do health questionnaires which do not consider sex differences miss important information?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Sense of Coherence (SOC) and Hardiness are crucial psychological resources.
• Personality traits significantly impact psychological well-being.
• Understanding gender influences on these factors is vital for mental health research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender differences in Sense of Coherence, Hardiness, and personality traits.
• To examine the relationship between these traits and psychological well-being in relation to gender.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Sense of Coherence Questionnaire, Dispositional Resilience Scale, Eysenck Personality Inventory, and General Health Questionnaire.
• Assessed a sample of 67 men and 239 women Open University students.
• Employed statistical analyses to identify sex differences.

Main Results:

• Significant sex differences were identified in specific scores of Sense of Coherence.
• Gender-based variations were found in subsets of Hardiness scores.
• Personality traits and psychological well-being scores also exhibited significant sex differences.

Conclusions:

• Gender plays a role in shaping Sense of Coherence, Hardiness, personality, and psychological well-being.
• These findings highlight the importance of considering gender in psychological health assessments.
• Further research can explore the underlying mechanisms of these observed sex differences.