School of Nursing, Nipissing University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
School of Nursing, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Menopause. 2020 Dec;27(12):1434-1443. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001623.
Chinese immigrants are among some of the fastest growing groups in many Western countries, and experience challenges such as language barriers, education gaps, and gender discrimination, which highlights the need for special attention and consideration in Western health care. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize existing research on the menopausal experiences of Chinese immigrant women (CIW).
This scoping review was written in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AgeLine, ERIC, ProQuest, Nursing and Allied Health Database, PsycARTICLES, Sociology Database, and Education Research Complete were utilized for the literature search. Articles were included if they examined CIW experiencing menopausal transition. A total of 18 studies were included for review.
Findings suggested that CIW experienced a variety of physical symptoms, including muscle and joint pain, urogenital symptoms, vasomotor symptoms, weight gain, decreased physical strength, vision changes, and skin changes. Muscle and joint pain were particularly prevalent and emphasized. CIW also experienced psycho-behavioral symptoms including emotional changes, depression, memory loss, and sexual dysfunction. However, they had a decreased concern regarding symptoms of sexual dysfunction and decreased libido when compared with women from Western cultures. CIW interpreted menopause as a natural aging process involving the next step in life. Cultural expectations of stoicism and silence may cause immigrant women to be less vocal about their menopause experiences and result in feelings of loneliness. Acculturation may be both a facilitator and a barrier to a healthy menopausal transition. CIW were resistant to Western Medicine management such as hormone therapy but were willing to incorporate traditional medicine into their health care. They believed that a healthy mentality was important and used various psychocognitive strategies to maintain a good quality of life. Healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers need to consider the unique characteristics of CIW's menopausal transition in research, intervention innovation, and practice.
在许多西方国家，中国移民是增长最快的群体之一，他们面临语言障碍、教育差距和性别歧视等挑战，这凸显了在西方医疗保健中特别关注和考虑他们的必要性。本范围综述的目的是总结现有关于中国移民女性（CIW）更年期经历的研究。
本范围综述按照 PRISMA 指南编写。使用 MEDLINE、PsycINFO、CINAHL、AgeLine、ERIC、ProQuest、Nursing and Allied Health Database、PsycARTICLES、Sociology Database 和 Education Research Complete 进行文献检索。如果研究检查了经历更年期过渡的 CIW，则纳入文章。共纳入 18 项研究进行综述。
研究结果表明，CIW 经历了各种身体症状，包括肌肉和关节疼痛、尿生殖系统症状、血管舒缩症状、体重增加、体力下降、视力变化和皮肤变化。肌肉和关节疼痛尤为普遍和突出。CIW 还经历了心理行为症状，包括情绪变化、抑郁、记忆力减退和性功能障碍。然而，与来自西方文化的女性相比，她们对性功能障碍和性欲下降的症状关注较少。CIW 将更年期视为自然衰老过程，是人生的下一步。对坚忍和沉默的文化期望可能导致移民女性对更年期经历的表达较少，并导致孤独感。文化适应可能是健康更年期过渡的促进因素和障碍。CIW 对西医管理（如激素治疗）持抵制态度，但愿意将传统医学纳入其医疗保健中。他们认为良好的心态很重要，并使用各种心理认知策略来维持良好的生活质量。医疗保健提供者、研究人员和政策制定者在研究、干预创新和实践中需要考虑 CIW 更年期过渡的独特特征。
