The influence of sex and gender on the level and course of subjective cognitive complaints after percutaneous coronary intervention
van den Houdt,S.C.M. Mommersteeg,P.M.C. Widdershoven,J. Kupper,N.
van den Houdt,S.C.M.
Mommersteeg,P.M.C.
Widdershoven,J.
Kupper,N.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cognitive complaints (e.g., health anxiety and illness disruption) are commonly experienced by patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). While it is known that sex and gender affect health, their influence on cognitive complaints remains unknown. The current study explored sex and gender differences in cognitive complaints during the first month (acute phase) and beyond, up to 2 years (recovery phase) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHOD: A total of 514 (M age = 64.2 ± 8.9, 84.2% male) completed the cognitive scale of the Health Complaints Scale (i.e., overall cognitive complaints, health worry, illness disruption) at baseline, 1, 12, and 24 months post-PCI. Additional questionnaires to gauge gender identity, traits, and norms were administered in a follow-up study. General linear mixed model analyses were conducted to examine the influence of sex, gender, sex × gender, and covariates on cognitive complaints. RESULTS: Cognitive complaints only decreased in the first month post-PCI (all p < .01). There were no clear sex differences. However, gender generally predicted cognitive complaints in the first 2 years post-PCI: masculinity was related to less complaints, whereas feminine individuals reported higher absolute levels of complaints. CONCLUSION: The current findings reveal that gender is a valuable factor concerning health complaints and indicate the need to further elaborate on the discrepancies between sex and gender in health research.
Description
Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Journal Issue
Keywords
Cognitive Complaints, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), General Linear Mixed Modeling, Sex and Gender Differences, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Citation
van den Houdt, S C M, Mommersteeg, P M C, Widdershoven, J & Kupper, N 2024, 'The influence of sex and gender on the level and course of subjective cognitive complaints after percutaneous coronary intervention', International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-024-10333-y