Sex and gender differences in primary care help-seeking for common somatic symptoms: a longitudinal study

被引:22
作者
Ballering, Aranka V. V. [1 ,5 ]
Hartman, Tim C. Olde C. [2 ]
Verheij, Robert [3 ,4 ]
Rosmalen, Judith G. M. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Groningen, Univ Med Ctr Groningen, Dept Psychiat, Groningen, Netherlands
[2] Radboud Univ Nijmegen, Med Ctr, Dept Primary & Community Care, Nijmegen, Netherlands
[3] Netherlands Inst Hlth Serv Res, Nivel, Utrecht, Netherlands
[4] Tilburg Univ, Tranzo Sci Ctr Care & Welf, Tilburg Sch Social & Behav Sci, Tilburg, Netherlands
[5] Dept Psychiat, POB 30-001,Internal Code CC72, NL-9700 RB Groningen, Netherlands
关键词
Gender roles; general practice; help-seeking behavior; medically unexplained symptoms; sex differences; primary health care; HEALTH; WOMEN;
D O I
10.1080/02813432.2023.2191653
中图分类号
R19 [保健组织与事业(卫生事业管理)];
学科分类号
摘要
ObjectiveWomen are reported to consult general practitioners (GPs) more frequently than men. However, previous studies on sex differences in help-seeking behavior for somatic symptoms do not distinguish between sex and gender, do not account for sex differences in presented symptoms, and are frequently conducted in clinical settings, automatically excluding non-help seekers. Therefore, we aim to assess the independent associations of sex and gender with primary care help-seeking for somatic symptoms in the general population.Design and settingRecords from the longitudinal population-based Lifelines Cohort Study were linked to routine electronic health records from GPs.SubjectsParticipants reporting new-onset common somatic symptoms.Main outcome measuresAssociations between sex and gender, operationalized via a novel gender-index, with primary care help-seeking for somatic symptoms and differences in the strength of the association between gender and help-seeking for somatic symptoms between women and men.ResultsOf 20,187 individuals with linked data, 8325 participants (67.5% female; mean age = 44.5 years [SD = 12.9]) reported at least one new-onset somatic symptom. Hereof, 255 (3.1%) consulted the GP within 6 weeks of symptom onset. Female sex was positively associated with consulting the GP (OR = 1.78; 95%CI = 1.13-2.80), whereas feminine gender was not (OR = 0.67; 95%CI = 0.39-1.16). The latter association did not differ in strength between men and women. More paid working days are negatively associated with help-seeking (OR = 0.95; 95%CI = 0.91-0.98).ConclusionsThe results suggest that female sex rather than feminine gender is associated with primary care help-seeking behavior for somatic symptoms. Nevertheless, clinicians should be aware that gender-related variables, such as mean paid working days, may be associated with help-seeking behavior.
引用
收藏
页码:132 / 139
页数:8
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