Self-reported health in relation to medical health and gender-specific problems in women

Self-reported health was studied in relation to physiological measures, gen der-specific problems, and clinical evaluation in 61 middle-aged women empl oyed in a male-dominated industry. Using self-reported somatic health as th e dependent variable, 50% of the variability was explained by the dimension workplace culture and the ratio low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipop rotein, Some women who reported good health were diagnosed with distress bu t showed no ill-health factors. However, they reported experiences of gende r-specific problems more often than the women who were diagnosed as being h ealthy. We concluded that self-report scales seem not to be enough to ident ify people who look healthy on standard health scales but who use psycholog ical defenses. Differentiating methods such as gender-specific questions, p hysiological ratio-measures, and clinical judgment seem to be important for distinguishing genuine from illusory mental or physical health.