A 6-year Follow-up Survey of Health Status in Middle-Aged Women with Turner Syndrome

Abstract

Objective

Studies suggest younger women with Turner syndrome (TS) have good quality of life. Less is known about everyday functioning in adults with TS. In a 6-year follow-up study, multiple areas of functioning were compared between TS women and controls. Design: Women with TS and controls were mailed a self-report survey six years after a baseline study.

Patients

Fifty-seven women with TS (M age 40.6±11.1 years) and 101 controls (M age 38.8±10.6 years, ns) responded.

Measurements

Measures of background information, experienced life strain, and presence/impact of health conditions were developed for this study. The QPSNordic measured perceived workload challenges. The LiSat9 measured life satisfaction. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale measured self-esteem.

Results

More TS women lived alone, fewer had biological children, and more had adoptive children. TS women reported fewer sex partners and less sexual confidence. Controls had higher education. There was no difference in employment status. More TS women received disability pensions. TS women reported their work as more physically challenging, less positively challenging, and requiring less knowledge skills. TS women experienced more life strain in school, adolescence, and late working life. Controls reported higher overall life-satisfaction, with no difference between samples on specific domains. TS women reported lower self-esteem. For TS women only, physical health at baseline predicted length of education, and mental health at baseline predicted self-esteem.

Conclusions

Women with TS face more challenges than controls on several domains of functioning. Early physical and mental health may influence later educational achievement and self-esteem for women with TS.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

from #AlexandrosSfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1VD96QP
via IFTTT