Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Aug 2019
Observational StudyCivic Service as an Intervention to Promote Psychosocial Health and Implications for Mental Health in Post-9/11/01 Era Women Veterans.
Background: Women veterans experience significant morbidity with poorer health and mental health outcomes relative to nonveteran counterparts. Little is known about how to best promote health and well-being among reintegrating female veterans. Civic service has been shown to improve mental health in civilians, but its impact on female veterans is unknown. ⋯ Pre-post change scores indicated significant improvements on nine measures of health, mental health, and psychosocial functioning (p < 0.05). Perceived self-efficacy change scores predicted PTSD change scores, F(1, 93) = 8.00, p < 0.05. Seeking professional assistance for mental health problems and social isolation and loneliness change scores predicted depression change scores, F(2, 95) = 15.618, p < 0.05, explaining 23% of the variance. Conclusions: Civic service has the potential to promote and support the maintenance of psychosocial well-being for returning post-9/11/01 era women veterans with symptoms of PTSD or depression.
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Journal of women's health · Aug 2019
Meta AnalysisThe Prevalence and Academic Impact of Dysmenorrhea in 21,573 Young Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Introduction: Dysmenorrhea (period pain) and associated symptoms are very common in young women <25 years. This time corresponds with a significant stage in adolescents and young women's academic lives at both school and in higher education. Dysmenorrhea may cause absenteeism from class or result in reduced classroom concentration and performance. ⋯ The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high 71.1% (N = 37, n = 20,813, 95% confidence interval [CI] 66.6-75.2) irrespective of the economic status of the country. Rates of dysmenorrhea were similar between students at school (N = 24, 72.5%, 95% CI 67.5-77.0) and at university (N = 7, 74.9%, 95% CI 62.9-84.0). Academic impact was significant, with 20.1% reporting absence from school or university due to dysmenorrhea (N = 19, n = 11,226, 95% CI 14.9-26.7) and 40.9% reporting classroom performance or concentration being negatively affected (N = 10, n = 5126, 95% CI 28.3-54.9). Conclusions: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high, irrespective of country, with dysmenorrhea having a significant negative impact on academic performance both at school and during higher education.
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Journal of women's health · Aug 2019
Differences in Coping with Breast Cancer Between Lesbian and Heterosexual Women: A Life Course Perspective.
Background: We tested a theoretical framework to explain differences in coping responses to breast cancer between lesbian and heterosexual women. Materials and Methods: Breast cancer survivors were recruited through cancer registries and community-based sampling. Cross-sectional telephone surveys were completed among self-identified lesbian (n = 330) and heterosexual (n = 595) women who were diagnosed with breast cancer. Five subscales from the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer (Mini-MAC) Scale were used to measure coping with breast cancer among women post-treatment. ⋯ College education mediated the association between lesbian identity and cognitive avoidance among women diagnosed at older ages. Conclusions: Despite previous evidence of suboptimal cancer care and gaps in supportive services, lesbian women with breast cancer demonstrate adaptive coping. This study calls for an increased focus on life course factors, both in the empirical and theoretical literature, which may partially explain some of this resiliency. Identifying mechanisms that lead to active coping can inform supportive care for both lesbian and heterosexual women.