更年期婦女自述症狀與夫妻更年期態度、婚姻滿意度之研究

Abstract

本研究的目的是了解夫妻更年期態度、婚姻滿意度與更年期婦女自述症狀的關係，與找出影響更年期婦女自述症狀之重要預測變項。採次級資料分析，研究對象為1997年美兆健康檢查中心全國北中南四家診所之會員，抽取出年齡40歲以上，60歲以下的婦女，與其丈夫配對後共取得521對夫妻。研究工具採用更年期態度量表、婚姻滿意度量表、更年期自述症狀量表。 研究結果顯示：一、不同年齡、停經階段、荷爾蒙使用情形在更年期婦女自述症狀上達顯著差異，而不同教育程度、職業的婦女在更年期自述症狀上無顯著差異。二、夫妻更年期態度之間達顯著差異，妻子更年期態度較丈夫正向；且夫妻更年期態度呈顯著正相關，當丈夫更年期態度越正向，妻子的更年期態度也越正向。三、丈夫更年期態度與更年期婦女自述症狀呈顯著負相關，表示丈夫對更年期態度越負向，妻子更年期自述症狀越嚴重，而妻子更年期態度對比於丈夫更年期態度則與更年期自述症狀無顯著相關。四、妻子婚姻滿意度與更年期婦女自述症狀呈顯著負相關，表示婦女對婚姻滿意度越低，更年期自述症狀也越嚴重；而丈夫婚姻滿意度對比於妻子婚姻滿意度則與更年期婦女自述症狀無顯著相關。五、丈夫更年期態度越負向、婦女對婚姻越不滿意、曾經使用荷爾蒙者，是預測更年期婦女症狀越嚴重的重要變項。丈夫更年期態度中，以發展觀點、女性主義觀點的預測力最大；而妻子婚姻滿意度三題中，又以性交行為滿意度最能預測婦女更年期症狀。 根據研究結果，當丈夫對更年期態度越正向，妻子對婚姻滿意度越高，更年期婦女的自述症狀就越少。顯示與丈夫互動親密、且其瞭解太太的更年期，對婦女更年期經驗是有影響的。希望本研究的結果，除了提供夫妻更年期的態度描述外，也有助於了解夫妻關係對中年婦女更年期自述症狀造成的影響，希望可對未來更年期相關研究提供一個參考。

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship of the couples’ attitudes toward menopause, the marital satisfaction, the symptom reported at the menopause, and to find out what was the most predictable variable to women’s menopausal symptoms. The subjects were 521 female members of MJ Health Screening Center aged from 40 to 60 with their husband. Based on a questionnaire survey secondary data analysis, the relationship among attitude toward menopause, marital satisfaction, and self-reported menopausal symptoms as well as demographic data has been examined. The result: First, self-reported symptoms were significantly different from age, menopausal stage, and hormone using, but were not significantly different from education and profession. Second, the wives’ attitude toward menopause was significant more positive than husbands’. Wives had a more positive attitude whenever their husbands had a more positive attitude toward menopause. Third, wives’ self-reported symptoms were more serious when husbands had a more negative attitude. Comparing to husbands’ attitude toward menopause, wives’ attitude was not significantly associated with self-reported menopausal symptoms. Fourth, self-reported menopausal symptoms were more serious while women’s marital satisfaction was low, but was not significantly associated to their husbands’ marital satisfaction. Finally, husbands’ negative attitudes toward menopause, women’s low marital satisfaction, and hormone using were important variables to predict the severity of the women’s menopausal symptoms. Husbands’ attitudes toward menopause were more predictable by development viewpoint, feminism viewpoint, while women’s marital satisfaction were more predictable by sexual satisfaction. According to the result, the more positive attitude toward menopause husband had, and the higher marital satisfaction the wife had, the fewer women reported their menopausal symptoms. Close interaction with their wives of the husbands and the understanding of the knowledge of the menopause seriously affected women’s menopausal experiences. Through describing couples’ attitudes toward menopause, we hope that this study may help to understand how relationships between husbands and wives can affect midlife women, and it is also a cornerstone for future menopausal studies.