Feminine Gender Role and Illness Behavior in Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Authors: Ali A.¹; Richardson D.C.²; Toner B.B.²

Source: Journal of Gender, Culture and Health, Volume 03, Number 1, March 1998 , pp. 59-65(7)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between aspects of the feminine gender role and modes of illness behavior in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fifty IBS patients (34 women and 16 men) completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ), which assesses aspects of gender role, and the Illness Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), which assesses components of illness behavior. The Communal Femininity subscale of the PAQ, which is characterized by traits of servility and subordination, showed a significant positive correlation with the Disease Conviction subscale of the IBQ, which is characterized by symptom preoccupation and rejection of physician reassurance (r = .55; p < .001). The Communal Femininity subscale of the PAQ also correlated positively with the General Hypochondriasis subscale of the IBQ, which is characterized by a high level of anxiety over one's state of health (r = .55; p < .001). These results suggest that characteristics of the feminine gender role, such as the nurturing of others before oneself, may influence the experience of physical symptoms by contributing to a heightened focus on physiological cues and by increasing levels of psychosocial stress.

Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome; gender role; illness behavior; psychosocial stress

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Women's Mental Health Research Programme, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1R8 2: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1R8

Publication date: 1998-03-01