Biomedical subjects

C Garamszegi

Publications and source records attributed to C Garamszegi.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Attitudes of middle-aged women to aging: contribution of the Reactions to Aging Questionnaire.

Attitudes to aging in mid-life have been found to be a predictor of health and well-being. The main purpose of the study was to assess the contribution of the Reactions to Aging Questionnaire (RAQ) to the understanding of middle-aged women's attitudes towards their aging. An additional purpose was to expand the existing information regarding the dimensions of the new version of the RAQ. Middle-aged Melbourne women (n = 381) were asked to complete the RAQ, in addition to another attitudes-to-aging scale (Worries About Aging). Factor analysis of the RAQ was used to explore its dimensionality, and frequencies of responses were used to assess the spread of response of both instruments. The factors extracted in the factor analysis of the RAQ were interpretable and meaningful in terms of emotions related to aging. They were also similar to the factors described by previous data. The RAQ was more effective in its distribution ability than the Worries About Aging Scale. With some modifications, the RAQ may be more informative than was the Worries About Aging Scale in its ability to assess emotions, opinions and beliefs associated with aging in middle-aged women.

Aging↗

PubMed1998

Menopausal status: subjectively and objectively defined.

This study aims to assess the relationship between self-rated and menstrually defined menopausal status, assesses criteria women use in perceiving their own menopausal status and compares symptom reporting and hormonal levels for self-rated and menstrually defined menopausal status. Women in the third year of the longitudinal phase of the Melbourne Women's Midlife Health Project (n = 332) were asked to assess their own menopausal status and the basis for this assessment. They were also specifically questioned on current menstrual cycle characteristics and levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol and inhibin were measured. For 67% of the women, the two definitions of menopausal status were in agreement. In women menstrually defined as premenopausal, self-rated menopausal status of peri- or postmenopausal appeared to be based on the occurrence of symptoms. In women menstrually defined as postmenopausal, persistence of hot flushes was taken to mean that 'the menopause was still in progress' despite absence of menses for more than 12 months. In women menstrually defined as perimenopausal yet who self-rated as premenopausal, FSH was lower (p < 0.01) and inhibin higher (p = 0.05) than women who self-rated as peri- or postmenopausal. Women's perceptions of the menopause are based on symptoms. Self-rated menopausal status appears to relate more closely to a women's endocrine status than definitions based on purely menstrual cycle characteristics.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1997

Determinants of self rated menopause status.

This study, based on a population survey, examines the self ratings of progress through the menopausal transition of women in natural menopause, women using hormone therapy and women who have undergone hysterectomy. The latter two groups are usually excluded from discussions of menopausal transition, since the accepted menstrually defined criteria do not apply to them. Hysterectomised women do not differ in their self rating profile from non-hysterectomised women, after hormone therapy status is taken into account. This is surprising, since they may have been expected to see themselves as in the main postmenopausal. Use of hormone therapy is tantamount to self perception as at least perimenopausal. Among women in natural menopause there is 29% disagreement between self ratings and menstrually defined categories. On the basis of these observations it is hypothesised that experience of symptoms associated with menopause is important in determining self ratings. The good fit of logistic regression predictions of self ratings from hysterectomy status, hormone therapy status and experience of hot flushes is consistent with this hypothesis. This research indicates that it is important to take women's subjective evaluations into account in assessing progress through the menopausal transition.

Attitude to Health↗