Symptom experience and self-care strategies among healthy, midlife African-American women.
The transition into menopause is an experience that is unique to every woman. This experience can encompass anything from an occasional hot flash to complete and utter distress. Considerable attention is being paid to African-American women as they transition through menopause, but their use of symptom self-care strategies is an area that would benefit from further research. Findings from this study are part of a larger five-year study exploring biopsychosocial health and wellness among diverse midlife women. This report includes identification of symptom prevalence, symptom distress, and self-care strategies used by midlife African-American women during a six-month time period. Prevalent or severe symptoms included fatigue, headaches, cramps, night sweats, and depression. Most self-care strategies were "passive" strategies, such as 'faith," "think," "accept," or "value/believe/forgive self". It is recommended that health-care providers inquire about other symptoms that might accompany classic vasomotor menopausal symptoms and identify "active" self-care strategies that ameliorate specific symptoms.
Department of Nursing, California State University, 2345 E. San Ramon Avenue, Mail stop MH25, Fresno, CA 93740-8031, USA. ahudson@csufresno.edu
Angela L
AL
Hudson
Diana
D
Taylor
Kathryn A
KA
Lee
Catherine L
CL
Gilliss
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education / Q000208:ethnology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D047648:Perimenopause / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000502:physiology; D017697:Premenopause / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000502:physiology; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014930:Women / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health