Men's constructions and experiences of PMS and their partner's premenstrual changes

Abstract

This thesis aimed to examine men's constructions of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual women, and to explore how men's constructions impact upon their responses to their partner premenstrually. This thesis also aimed to determine what impact a man's involvement in a couple-based PMS intervention would have on such constructions and responses. Two qualitative studies were conducted, in which men's accounts of PMS and premenstrual changes were examined. In the first study, men's online posts from the website PMSbuddy.com were collected and analysed using a thematic discourse analysis. Results from this study showed that the majority of men positioned premenstrual change as having a detrimental impact upon themselves, their partner and their intimate relationship. Most men constructed the premenstrual phase and women's premenstrual changes as confusing, complicated and illogical. To make sense of premenstrual change, men drew upon cultural discourses that positioned premenstrual change as a disorder necessitating treatment and premenstrual women as mad, bad and dangerous. Although some men positioned premenstrual change as a natural experience and acknowledged the importance of being empathetic and supportive to their partner premenstrually, such instances were scarce. In the second study, a Foucauldian discourse analysis was used to analyse in-depth interviews conducted with 12 male partners prior to, and following, their participation in a couple-based psychological intervention for moderate-severe premenstrual distress. Results from this study showed that men took up several subject positions in relation to their premenstrual partners, which included: the 'Na ve Partner', the 'Expert', the 'Supportive Partner', the 'Critical Partner', the 'Victim' and the 'Knowledgeable Partner'. The majority of men who struggled to make sense of premenstrual change took up the Na ve Partner position. By contrast, a small number of men positioned themselves as 'experts' in relation to PMS, constructing premenstrual change as predictable and measurable. All but one of the men positioned their partner's premenstrual changes as a source of strain in their lives, with a small number of men taking up the Victim position to emphasise their suffering and their unjust experiences. Most of these men also adopted the Critical Partner position, as they focused on the negative aspects of premenstrual change and positioned their partner's premenstrual distress as disruptive and illegitimate. Following the men's participation in the couple intervention, most men reported that the intervention helped them to develop an enriched understanding and awareness of their partner's premenstrual experiences. Through this enriched understanding, men positively redefined their experiences with premenstrual change and further resisted the Victim and Critical Partner position. This resistance enabled men to adopt supportive practices that they claimed to help their partner better cope with premenstrual distress. These findings strengthen the notion that premenstrual change is experienced and negotiated within a relational context, and suggest a need for further research on the impact of partners' constructions of PMS on women's premenstrual distress and coping.

Date of Award	2013
Original language	English