Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses

The menopausal transition can be a period of stress, even lead to trauma if left unnoticed or unsupported. Perimenopause is considered to be the period (3-8 years) before and after the final menstrual cycle. It is a phase in a woman’s life that needs immense support and care from the spouse. But sti...

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Main Authors: Ammu G Nair, Sonia George
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University 2021-06-01
Series:East European Journal of Psycholinguistics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eejpl.vnu.edu.ua/index.php/eejpl/article/view/472/272
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author Ammu G Nair
Sonia George
author_facet Ammu G Nair
Sonia George
author_sort Ammu G Nair
collection DOAJ
description The menopausal transition can be a period of stress, even lead to trauma if left unnoticed or unsupported. Perimenopause is considered to be the period (3-8 years) before and after the final menstrual cycle. It is a phase in a woman’s life that needs immense support and care from the spouse. But still, researchers are sceptical about the information men have regarding the period. Even though many studies highlight the physiological changes that happen during the perimenopausal or menopausal transition period, there is still a lack in the number of studies that emphasize the psychological difficulties women face in the perimenopausal period. Emotional support from the husband is of significance amid many such difficulties. The study intends to investigate the level of awareness men have about the perimenopausal period.The study also tries understand how the spouses perceive themselves to have supported their wives during the perimenopausal period. The study followed a qualitative approach in data collection and analysis. The data was collected using a semi-structured interview. 34 men (spouses of perimenopausal women) from Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Thrissur districts of Kerala, India were selected using purposive sampling. The method of thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. For the analysis, the software NVivo was used. The final themes extracted were unawareness, attitude, regret, and techniques to be adopted. The results revealed the unawareness majority of the participants had about the phase and throw light on the need to create awareness among men to help women cope better with the phase. The major reasons, the participants noted as reasons for their unawareness, were lack of information from the family, lack of communication from their spouses, which led to major confusion in them.
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spelling doaj.art-f67a98e506a04aa0a2a284bdd3b3c4612023-09-02T17:23:32ZengLesya Ukrainka Volyn National UniversityEast European Journal of Psycholinguistics2312-32652313-21162021-06-01818394https://doi.org/10.29038/eejpl.2021.8.1.naiPerimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of SpousesAmmu G Nair0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1243-5154Sonia George1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9313-7636University of Kerala, IndiaUniversity of Kerala, IndiaThe menopausal transition can be a period of stress, even lead to trauma if left unnoticed or unsupported. Perimenopause is considered to be the period (3-8 years) before and after the final menstrual cycle. It is a phase in a woman’s life that needs immense support and care from the spouse. But still, researchers are sceptical about the information men have regarding the period. Even though many studies highlight the physiological changes that happen during the perimenopausal or menopausal transition period, there is still a lack in the number of studies that emphasize the psychological difficulties women face in the perimenopausal period. Emotional support from the husband is of significance amid many such difficulties. The study intends to investigate the level of awareness men have about the perimenopausal period.The study also tries understand how the spouses perceive themselves to have supported their wives during the perimenopausal period. The study followed a qualitative approach in data collection and analysis. The data was collected using a semi-structured interview. 34 men (spouses of perimenopausal women) from Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Thrissur districts of Kerala, India were selected using purposive sampling. The method of thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. For the analysis, the software NVivo was used. The final themes extracted were unawareness, attitude, regret, and techniques to be adopted. The results revealed the unawareness majority of the participants had about the phase and throw light on the need to create awareness among men to help women cope better with the phase. The major reasons, the participants noted as reasons for their unawareness, were lack of information from the family, lack of communication from their spouses, which led to major confusion in them.https://eejpl.vnu.edu.ua/index.php/eejpl/article/view/472/272menopauseperimenopausewomenspouseawarenesscommunication
spellingShingle Ammu G Nair
Sonia George
Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses
East European Journal of Psycholinguistics
menopause
perimenopause
women
spouse
awareness
communication
title Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses
title_full Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses
title_fullStr Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses
title_full_unstemmed Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses
title_short Perimenopausal Stress Reactions: A Qualitative Study on the Awareness of Spouses
title_sort perimenopausal stress reactions a qualitative study on the awareness of spouses
topic menopause
perimenopause
women
spouse
awareness
communication
url https://eejpl.vnu.edu.ua/index.php/eejpl/article/view/472/272
work_keys_str_mv AT ammugnair perimenopausalstressreactionsaqualitativestudyontheawarenessofspouses
AT soniageorge perimenopausalstressreactionsaqualitativestudyontheawarenessofspouses