title: Relationship between Type-D personality, physical activity behaviour and climacteric symptoms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A number of factors have been identified which might influence the variation observed in climacteric symptoms in peri- and post-menopausal women. We examined the role of the distressed or Type-D personality and mode of physical activity or exercise on the climacteric symptoms experienced by peri- or post-menopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  213 Women (M age 52.2 years, SD = 5.9), 58% classified as peri- and 42% as post-menopausal completed a questionnaire pack consisting of demographic questions, the DS14 (Type-D personality), Kaiser Physical Activity Survey (assessing household care giving, occupational, active living and sport and exercise index) and the Greene Climacteric Scale (Psychological, somatic/physical, vasomotor and sexual symptoms).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Type-D personality and increased levels of household care-giving physical activity were both associated with increased bothersomness for all four climacteric factors. Increased levels of sport and exercise participation on the other hand resulted in less psychological, somatic/physical and sexual functioning problems whereas the active living index was inversely related to somatic/physical climacteric symptoms. Finally, lower income was associated with more psychological and somatic/physical symptoms and being peri-menopausal resulted in more vasomotor symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that mode of physical activity is an important moderator in alleviating climacteric symptoms. In addition, our results support previous findings in that Type-D personality is associated with negative health outcomes. In particular menopausal women with Type-D personality would benefit from interventions (coping, mindfulness training) and regular sport and exercise participation to reduce climacteric symptomology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, Erika.borkoles@vu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borkoles
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Chantal F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Ski
authors.forename: Lilly
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stojanovska
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Remco C J
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Polman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido / Q000502:physiology; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D047648:Perimenopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064415:Type D Personality