Mental and physical health of middle-aged and elderly women and psychosocial factors.

Middle-aged and elderly women with no specific disabilities in their daily life were divided into two groups: those visiting clinics with mild physical symptoms and those not visiting clinics. Those visiting clinics showed significantly lower mental and physical health indices, but satisfaction and emotional support were similar. Although those visiting clinics had significantly more stressful events, no differences were seen in ways they were dealt with. For those not visiting clinics, mental and physical health indices were better in their 60s than in their 50s and got worse again in their 70s, while for those visiting clinics indices were consistently low. Somatic symptoms in the women visiting clinics could be somatic reactions to their life situation from their 50s to their 60s.