Expressions of anger decreased over time, suggesting that control grew as women aged

Women feel more anger but express less of it as they age, according to a recent analysis in the journal Menopause. Photo / 123rf

Women feel more anger but express less of it as they age, according to a recent analysis in the journal Menopause.

Researchers looked at health reports and menstrual data from 501 participants in the Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study, analysing a subset of data from 271 women to look for possible connections between age, reproductive stage, and anger in women.

The women who were studied were between 35 and 55 and still menstruating. The average participant was 41.6 years old, well educated, employed, married, and in a median income range when the study began in 1990 and 1992. The majority were white.

Angry feelings, or “state anger”, increased with age, the researchers found. But expressions of anger decreased as women aged, suggesting that anger control grew with chronological age.

Participants’ anger spiked in the late reproductive stage of women’s lives, but as menopause approached, participants expressed their anger less frequently and with less aggression or hostility.

Just one anger measure, “anger suppressed”, had no link to age, the researchers found.

Anger could play an important role during midlife, the researchers suggest. Perhaps women get practice at being angry as they approach menopause, leading to increasing emotional regulation and control over their anger as menopause progresses.

“The mental health side of the menopause transition can have a significant effect on a woman’s personal and professional life,” Monica Christmas, the associate medical director of the Menopause Society, said in a news release.

“Educating women about the possibility of mood changes during these vulnerable windows and actively managing symptoms can have a profound effect on overall quality of life and health.”

The researchers call for more research on anger and women as they age, especially given a seeming connection between suppressing anger long-term and cardiac issues such as blood pressure.