RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Sex and Gender Interactions in the Lives of Patients with Spondyloarthritis in Spain: A Quantitative-qualitative Study
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP 1429
OP 1435
DO 10.3899/jrheum.170128
VO 44
IS 10
A1 Mar Blasco-Blasco
A1 María Teresa Ruiz-Cantero
A1 Lucero Aida Juárez-Herrera y Cairo
A1 Vega Jovaní
A1 Eliseo Pascual
YR 2017
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/44/10/1429.abstract
AB Objective. To illustrate the experiences and contextual support perceived by men and women with spondyloarthritis (SpA) in relation to their demanding productive and reproductive roles.Methods. A quantitative-qualitative study of 96 men and 54 women with SpA was conducted at the Alicante University General Hospital, in a Spanish Mediterranean city, from March 2013 to February 2014. Descriptive and qualitative content analyses compared working lives and family/partner relationships of male and female patients.Results. Working life: both women (55.6%) and men (51.04%) were similarly affected, but women had worse disease activity (5.4 vs 4.0, p = 0.01) and less antitumor necrosis factor-α therapy (56.7% vs 77.6%, p < 0.05). Different patterns were found by gender: women mostly practiced presenteeism whereas men practiced absenteeism, women took antiinflammatories prior to work and men after work, employers suggested more frequently the beneficial actions for men, and some women withdrew permanently from the labor market. Family/partner relationships: women were more affected (57.4%) than men (41.7%), with worse results for diagnostic delay (11.2 vs 6.4 yrs, p = 0.02), disease activity (5.8 vs 3.6, p < 0.001), and physical function (5.2 vs 3.8, p = 0.02). Gender role conflicts emerged, with women developing strategies to face compulsory housework whereas men avoided them; women regretted neglecting their children and men not sharing leisure activities with them.Conclusion. Our study highlights the vital complexity in which patients with SpA are immersed, especially for women in a country where a mix of new and traditional gender roles coexist. Awareness of its existence is crucial when professionals strive to provide healthcare focused on their well-being in addition to medical therapy.