Tang Catherine So-Kum, Yeung Dannii Yuen-Lan, Lee Antyoinette Marie
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
J Adolesc Health. 2003 Sep;33(3):193-201. doi: 10.1016/s1054-139x(03)00049-1.
To determine the psychosocial correlates of emotional responses to menarche among Chinese adolescent girls.
A large sample of 1573 post-menarcheal Chinese junior high school students in Hong Kong completed questionnaires on knowledge and preparation of menarche, attitudes toward menstruation, gender-role attitudes, body image, self-esteem, and emotional responses to the onset of the first menstruation. Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine associations among variables.
Participants' mean age at menarche was 11.67 years. Their emotional reactions to menarche were largely negative, with almost 85% reporting feeling annoyed and embarrassed. In spite of these negative feelings, about two-thirds of the participants also reported feeling grown up and another 40% felt as if becoming more feminine. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that negative emotional responses to menarche were correlated with perceptions of menstruation as a negative event, inadequate preparation for menarche, endorsement of indigenous negative menstrual attitudes, and poor self-esteem (24.5% variance explained). Positive emotional responses to menarche were correlated with perceptions of menstruation as a natural event, rejection of indigenous negative menstrual attitudes, positive body image, and adequate preparation for menarche (13.4% variance explained).
This study illustrates the need to attend to various psychosocial and cultural factors in the understanding of Chinese adolescent girls' responses to their first menstruation. In particular, general and indigenous menstrual attitudes, which may have been internalized by Chinese adolescent girls at an early age, are found to be the most salient correlates of their emotional responses to menarche.
确定中国青春期女孩对初潮情绪反应的社会心理相关因素。
对香港1573名月经初潮后的中国初中学生进行了大规模抽样调查，这些学生完成了关于初潮知识与准备、对月经的态度、性别角色态度、身体意象、自尊以及对首次月经初潮开始的情绪反应的问卷调查。进行了Pearson相关性分析和分层回归分析以确定变量之间的关联。
参与者初潮的平均年龄为11.67岁。她们对初潮的情绪反应大多为负面，近85%的人表示感到烦恼和尴尬。尽管有这些负面情绪，但约三分之二的参与者也表示感觉自己长大了，另有40%的人感觉自己变得更有女人味了。分层回归分析结果表明，对初潮的负面情绪反应与将月经视为负面事件的认知、对初潮准备不足、认可本土负面月经态度以及低自尊相关（解释方差的24.5%）。对初潮的积极情绪反应与将月经视为自然事件的认知、拒绝本土负面月经态度、积极的身体意象以及对初潮准备充分相关（解释方差的13.4%）。
本研究表明，在理解中国青春期女孩对首次月经的反应时，需要关注各种社会心理和文化因素。特别是，中国青春期女孩可能在幼年时就已内化的一般和本土月经态度，被发现是她们对初潮情绪反应最显著的相关因素。
