Psychological/Emotional Influences in Hot Flash Reporting
The psychological and emotional state of participants can influence hot flash
reporting. In a study of the emotional antecedents of hotflashes, 2 days of ambu-
latory SCL-derived and subjectively reported hotflashes were examined in the
context of behavioral diaries that were completed by participants three times an hour.
Higher trait negative affect was associated with a higher rate of reporting hotflashes
not concordant with a physiologic hotflash event over the subsequent 2 days
(Thurston et al. 2005 ). Moreover, hotflash reports lacking physiologic corroboration
were more likely to be acutely preceded by increased negative affect (Thurston et al.
2005 ). Other studies have shown broadly similarfindings (Thurston et al.2009a).
Negative mood may also be associated with greater perceived bother associated with
hotflashes beyond the reported frequency of hotflashes (Thurston et al.2008a).
Thus, negative mood is associated with hotflash reporting. Whether negative mood
is also associated with the physiologic occurrence of hotflashes is not yet clear.
Sleep Disturbance and Hot Flash Detection
Women commonly report sleep disturbance during the menopause transition
(Kravitz et al. 2008 ). Hotflashes (or night sweats) are frequently cited as the source
of the sleep disturbance (Kronenberg 1990 ). In fact, relations between hotflashes
and sleep using self-report measures of both sleep and hotflashes are consistent and
Fig. 11.1 Forest plot of the sensitivity and specificity of self-reported measures to identify
SSC-defined HFs/NS. Error bars represent 95% CIs. Reprinted with permission from Mann and
Hunter ( 2011 )
11 Hot Flashes: Phenomenology and Measurement 241