Assessment of family function in perimenopausal women in Ibadan

Abstract

Background: The perimenopause is often accompanied by distressing symptoms which may take their toll on the woman and her family. This study aimed to assess the possible association of the perimenopause with poor family functioning. Methods: It was a cross-sectional, descriptive study of 132 women aged >.40 years, carried out at the Department of Family Medicine of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. The questionnaire included the General Functioning Scale of the Family Assessment Device, a self-report measure of family functioning that describes emotional relationships and functioning within the family. Explanatory variables were demographic data parameters and onset of menstrual irregularities; outcome variables were presence e or absence e of good family functionality. Categorical and continuous variables were analyzed with chi-square test and students’ test, respectively. Data analysis was with IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional ethical committee. Results: Most (80.3%) of the 132 respondents were already experiencing irregular menses. The General Functioning scale scores ranged from 1.08 to 3.08. The modal score was 1.92 which was within the range of good function. Applying a standard cut-off point of 2.17, 92 (69.7%) reported good family functioning, while 40 (30.3%) reported poor family functioning. Of all socio-demographic variables assessed, being in a monogamous marriage was the only observed one significantly associated with good family functioning (/>