Sex and gender in older adults' experience of Parkinson's disease

Samantha Solimeo

doi:10.1093/geronb/63.1.S42

Back

Sex and gender in older adults' experience of Parkinson's disease

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Sex and gender in older adults' experience of Parkinson's disease

Samantha Solimeo

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, Vol.63(1), pp.S42-S48

01/2008

DOI: 10.1093/geronb/63.1.S42

PMID: 18332201

Files and links (1)

url

https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/63.1.S42View

Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

This article reports on the gendered experience of Parkinson's disease (PD). Data derived from 15 months of ethnographic study among community-dwelling older adults living with PD in eastern Iowa. The study utilized several methods: participant observation at PD support group meetings, illness narrative interviews with PD sufferers, and a questionnaire. A total of 171 PD sufferers (106 men, 65 women) enrolled in the study. Illness narratives revealed gender differences in the impact of specific symptoms on daily life: Women's narratives emphasized the impact of the on/off effect and "thinking problems," whereas men's narratives emphasized the consequences of their physical appearance. In comparison, quantitative data found little sex difference in symptomatology. The comparison of qualitatively and quantitatively derived data reveals the importance of attending to both sex and gender. Qualitative data demonstrate how the meaning of PD symptoms is gendered and illustrate an example of how gender and sex research differ. All narratives reflect the importance of role continuity, but men's put at the forefront appearance and social isolation whereas women's underscore their relational aspects of domestic activities. These data imply that providers must look beyond symptomatology to the gendered saliency of particular somatic phenomena.

Pain - epidemiology

Humans

Facial Expression

Social Desirability

Aging - psychology

Chronic Disease - epidemiology

Male

Sexual Behavior - psychology

Disabled Persons - psychology

Gender Identity

Pain - psychology

Social Perception

Sex Factors

Parkinson Disease - epidemiology

Disabled Persons - statistics & numerical data

Female

Surveys and Questionnaires

Aged

Chronic Disease - psychology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Sex and gender in older adults' experience of Parkinson's disease
Creators: Samantha Solimeo - Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. Samantha@Solimeo.com
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, Vol.63(1), pp.S42-S48
DOI: 10.1093/geronb/63.1.S42
PMID: 18332201
ISSN: 1079-5014
eISSN: 1758-5368
Grant note: 5T32 AG00029-31 / NIA NIH HHS R36 HS014157-01 / AHRQ HHS
Language: English
Date published: 01/2008
Academic Unit: General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984094618802771

Metrics

14 Record Views

40 Times Cited - Web of Science