Husbands' support of their perimenopausal wives

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the social support provided by husbands to their perimenopausal wives. Ninety-six husbands of women who were participating in the longitudinal Midlife Women's Health Survey answered open-ended questions concerning how supportive they perceived themselves to be, what information they had concerning menopause, and what kinds of stress they were experiencing in their own lives. One-third of the husbands believed they were not supportive, but the majority said they provided mostly emotional support. Most husbands had some information about menopause, but more than one in four knew little or nothing. The majority of the husbands got their information from their wives. Husbands reported numerous stressors in their lives, including work and financial problems and declining health and sexual response. Lack of information, negative effects of their wives' menopausal transition, and their own stresses may have interfered with husbands' ability to provide social support. Future research with a larger and more diverse sample that includes wives as well as husbands is recommended.