Open AccessMenopausal symptoms: prediction of quality of marital relationship among couples
Author(s) -
Noshi Zaman,
Sundas Shakoor,
Salim Yusuf
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of mind and medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2601-4920
pISSN - 2392-7674
DOI - 10.22543/7674.91.p133142
Subject(s) - medicine , menopause , marital status , quality of life (healthcare) , scale (ratio) , rating scale , marital relationship , clinical psychology , demography , gerontology , psychology , developmental psychology , population , environmental health , physics , nursing , quantum mechanics , sociology
Objective. The current study determined the association between menopausal symptoms and marital quality of life, and explored the role of several demographic variables (education, occupation, and income) on these symptoms. Materials and Methods. The purposive sample included 180 married couples. Wives experiencing premenopause, perimenopause, and postmenopause 35 to 60 years old (M=45.21 & SD=7.47) were recruited from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Two assessment instruments were used: Menopause Rating Scale- MRS for menopausal symptoms, and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale- EMS for quality of marital relationship. Results. Wives’ quality of marital relationship was not significantly predicted by menopausal symptoms whereas husbands’ quality of marital relationship was significantly predicted by psychological (but not physical) symptoms of menopause. Also, several differences in menopausal symptoms and quality of marital relationship were found in relation to demographic variables. Conclusions. Clinicians should consider the relevance of psychological symptoms of menopause, and not just physical symptoms, in relationship assessment, a result that has research, practice, education and public health implications. Furthermore, possible cultural differences in the perception of menopausal effects should be addressed in greater depth.