The Fifth Decade by Deborah R. Wagner

Author:Deborah R. Wagner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing

Psychosocial Factors

In our culture the passage through perimenopause often coincides with some enormous life challenges. The psychosocial difficulties that women in their forties and fifties may face are: coping with aging parents, pubescent children, preparing for retirement or children's college and the changing emotional dynamic with peers as women and their families mature. These difficulties, as we have learned, may create symptoms of anxiety but they are equally likely to create symptoms of depression. For women who are mothers, one of the most difficult of these challenges is the “‘empty nest syndrome.” The empty nest occurs when the youngest child leaves home. The “empty nest syndrome” refers to the adjustments a mother must make emotionally, psychologically and practically when her stage of active parenting comes to an end.

Although some theorists believe that depression associated with the empty nest syndrome is limited to those women who are excessively engaged with their children,146 I have found this not to be the case. In my clinical practice I have seen women who have appropriate, healthy engagement with their children, have extensive friendship networks and have pursued their own interests, whether in careers or hobbies, suffer significantly when their nests initially become empty. Mood disorders are not infrequently the outcome.

The combination of the hormonal shifts with the overwhelming impact of such a huge change in lifestyle and daily functioning is a lot for a woman to handle. The majority of women who are susceptible to being overcome at this juncture suffer from Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood as opposed to the more serious Depressive Disorders. I described earlier how this is a relatively short-lived disorder, lasting less than six months. It is a reaction to a defined situation that creates the shift in mood and coping ability. Women need some time to adapt to this dramatic shift in their responsibilities, identities and feelings.

Women who have raised children have typically spent over twenty-five years bringing all of their children from birth to emancipation. Depending on the spacing of the children, this time frame can be even longer. After so many years of viewing oneself as “Johnny's mother” or “Suzie's mom,” it is an arduous task to suddenly shift perspective and view oneself differently. Women struggle with what their value is, now that there are no children at home to care for. The smallest things become a reminder of this difference, such as taking out that extra dinner plate when setting the table. How many times a day does a mother look at the clock, thinking ‘Dan will be home any minute’, only to realize Dan will not be home until Thanksgiving break. These women begin to worry how they will fill their time. The entire rhythm of each day, each week changes. Can they redefine themselves now that their children are on their own? How do they go about doing so? All of the things they always wanted to have time to do suddenly do not seem quite so appealing. How does one begin to

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