{"title":"Much more than a biological phenomenon: A qualitative study of women's experiences of brain fog across their reproductive journey.","authors":"Hannah Johnson, Jane Ogden","doi":"10.1177/13591053241290656","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Whilst 'brain fog' is mostly considered a biological problem little is understood about an individual's experience. This qualitative study explored women's experiences of brain fog focusing on those at the start (aged 18-25; <i>n</i> = 10) and end (aged 45-60; <i>n</i> = 10) of their reproductive journey. Descriptive thematic analysis described three themes: (i) 'daily disruptions' describing cognitive dysfunctions and the main triggers; (ii) 'the cycle of impact' with a focus on women's emotional experiences and how these can exacerbate brain fog; (iii) 'taking control' highlighting the use of self-care, physical prompts and Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) to manage brain fog. Transcending these themes was the notion of 'crisis of identity' illustrating the negative impact of brain fog on the women's sense of self with some older women describing acceptance and finding it less challenging. Brain fog is much more than a biological phenomenon and has broader implications for a woman's sense of self.</p>","PeriodicalId":51355,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Psychology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Health Psychology","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053241290656","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Whilst 'brain fog' is mostly considered a biological problem little is understood about an individual's experience. This qualitative study explored women's experiences of brain fog focusing on those at the start (aged 18-25; n = 10) and end (aged 45-60; n = 10) of their reproductive journey. Descriptive thematic analysis described three themes: (i) 'daily disruptions' describing cognitive dysfunctions and the main triggers; (ii) 'the cycle of impact' with a focus on women's emotional experiences and how these can exacerbate brain fog; (iii) 'taking control' highlighting the use of self-care, physical prompts and Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) to manage brain fog. Transcending these themes was the notion of 'crisis of identity' illustrating the negative impact of brain fog on the women's sense of self with some older women describing acceptance and finding it less challenging. Brain fog is much more than a biological phenomenon and has broader implications for a woman's sense of self.
期刊介绍:
ournal of Health Psychology is an international peer-reviewed journal that aims to support and help shape research in health psychology from around the world. It provides a platform for traditional empirical analyses as well as more qualitative and/or critically oriented approaches. It also addresses the social contexts in which psychological and health processes are embedded. Studies published in this journal are required to obtain ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board. Such approval must include informed, signed consent by all research participants. Any manuscript not containing an explicit statement concerning ethical approval and informed consent will not be considered.