Sergeant Judith, Rizq Rosemary
a Community Health Psychology , Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust , Guildford , UK.
b Department of Psychology , University of Roehampton , London , UK.
J Psychosom Obstet Gynaecol. 2017 Sep;38(3):189-201. doi: 10.1080/0167482X.2016.1270937. Epub 2017 Jan 9.
This study explores the impact of menopause on women's identity and considers the effect of sociocultural factors on their experience of this stage of life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 women and analysed following constructivist Grounded Theory methods. Women described uncertainty produced by their changing bodies. Menopause was interpreted as marking transition to another phase of life, which necessitated renegotiation of role and status in the face of menopause narratives questioning women's relevance, vigour, attractiveness and emotional stability. We discuss results with reference to what appears to be an unspoken social "rule" keeping menopause hidden, something that enables dismissive menopausal narratives to persist. Our study suggests this resulted in some sense of emotional strain for participants as they negotiated a continuing narrative of their lives through a period of change. However, results also indicate that menopause may provide an opportunity for women to refocus on their goals and wellbeing. We conclude by considering the implications of the study for healthcare professionals working with menopausal women.
本研究探讨了更年期对女性身份认同的影响，并考虑了社会文化因素对她们这一生命阶段体验的作用。对11名女性进行了半结构化访谈，并采用建构主义扎根理论方法进行分析。女性们描述了身体变化所带来的不确定性。更年期被视为标志着向生命的另一个阶段过渡，面对质疑女性相关性、活力、吸引力和情绪稳定性的更年期叙事，这需要重新协商角色和地位。我们结合一条似乎不为人知的将更年期隐藏起来的社会“规则”来讨论研究结果，正是这条规则使得轻蔑的更年期叙事得以持续。我们的研究表明，这在某种程度上给参与者带来了情感压力，因为她们在一段变化时期内努力维持自己生活的连贯叙事。然而，研究结果也表明，更年期可能为女性提供一个重新关注自身目标和幸福的机会。我们最后考虑了该研究对为更年期女性提供护理的医疗专业人员的启示。
