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1: Soc Sci Med. 1993 Jan;36(1):15-20.Links
Gender differences in the perceptions of common cold symptoms.Macintyre S.
MRC Medical Sociology Unit, Glasgow, U.K.
Higher rates of reported morbidity among women are sometimes attributed to
lower thresholds among women for experiencing and reporting symptoms. Gender
differences in the perception of signs and symptoms of minor illness were
examined on data from the MRC Common Cold Unit. Volunteers assessed the
presence and severity of colds at the end of their stay in the Unit, using
the same two measures as a trained clinical observer (all ratings were
double blind). Even after adjustment for other variables, men were
significantly more likely to ‘over-rate’ their symptoms in comparison with
the clinical observer than were women. These data, and recent analyses from
elsewhere, suggest that rather than artefactually exaggerating gender
differences in morbidity, differing thresholds for perceiving and reporting
symptoms may produce underestimates of gender differences in morbidity.
PMID: 8424180 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]