Woods N F, Dery G K, Most A
Psychosom Med. 1982 Jul;44(3):285-93. doi: 10.1097/00006842-198207000-00006.
By menarche, girls are likely to have been influenced not only by cultural stereotypes about menstruation, but also by information acquired through significant others. Their own expectations about menstruation are likely to influence their reports of menarcheal experience. Moreover, some suggest that menarcheal experiences are likely to influence subsequent attitudes toward menstruation, and that these expectations may, in turn, influence perceptions of menstrual symptoms through psychophysiologic mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between characteristics of women's menarche, their adult attitudes toward menstruation, and current experiences of perimenstrual symptoms. We selected 179 nonpregnant menstruating women between the ages of 18 and 35 from 5 lower to upper middle income neighborhoods. We found that negative recollections of their first menstruation had little effect on current menstrual attitudes. Moreover, positive recollections of menarche were associated with premenstrual and menstrual negative affect and impaired performance, and not in the expected direction. Current menstrual attitudes were more strongly associated with women's current menstrual symptoms. These results do not support the theory that menarcheal experiences have profound effects on subsequent menstrual attitudes and symptoms.
到初潮时，女孩们可能不仅受到有关月经的文化刻板印象的影响，还受到从重要他人那里获得的信息的影响。她们自己对月经的期望可能会影响她们对初潮经历的描述。此外，一些人认为初潮经历可能会影响随后对月经的态度，而这些期望反过来可能通过心理生理机制影响对月经症状的感知。本研究的目的是探讨女性初潮特征、她们成年后对月经的态度以及当前经前症状体验之间的关系。我们从5个中低收入到中高收入社区中选取了179名年龄在18至35岁之间的非孕经期女性。我们发现，对首次月经的负面回忆对当前的月经态度影响不大。此外，对初潮的积极回忆与经前和经期的负面情绪以及表现受损有关，且并非如预期的那样。当前的月经态度与女性当前的月经症状关联更为紧密。这些结果并不支持初潮经历会对随后的月经态度和症状产生深远影响这一理论。
