- 研究生：: 劉宜娟
- 論文名稱：男性憂鬱症患者的男性氣概
- 指導教授：王雅各
- 關鍵詞：生病經驗、男性氣概、憂鬱症
- 本研究之目的，在於了解男性憂鬱症患者「男性氣概」之形成與變遷，以及他們的生病經驗。本研究採深度訪談法與敘說研究，整理六位受訪者的生命故事進行分析與探討。結果要點如下：
一、男性憂鬱症患者生命經驗中有許多可能發展出憂鬱特質的因素。1、在家庭背景方面：研究發現這些男性憂鬱症患者遭遇較多的家庭變故，例如父母一方生病、過世或者婚姻關係不健全，這讓他們比一般男孩容易潛移默化出悲觀及負面思考的憂鬱特質。與父親的關係方面，他們親子間的角色分工模糊不清，常常需要取代父親在家中的角色，提早擔起顧家的責任。至於母子關係，他們的母親在家庭及社會中都相對弱勢，同時也面臨重要的生命課題，例如生病、婚姻觸礁或者喪偶。這些男孩為了平衡家中的關係，總是與母親緊緊綁在一起，因而逐漸地失去自我，母子間的角色功能與父子間一樣模糊不清。此外，六位受訪者當中有三位是家中的長子，在父母的特別對待下，他們都認同父母所灌輸對長子角色的期待，也願意擔負起較多的責任。2、在求學經驗方面：研究歸納出受訪者在升學抉擇的自主性上，似乎顯現較多「順從」的性格。他們的男性特質明顯較弱，有較多女性氣質。此外也發現他們在校園中累積許多心理創傷，其中包括同儕關係的挫敗、課業壓力以及師長的羞辱等。3、在職場經驗方面：研究發現受訪者有著「不順遂的工作經歷」，讓人生出現一些轉折與陷入低潮。他們在工作中常有受壓迫的經驗，並「忍受」許多不符合自己個性的工作要求，不過為了扮演好男性刻板的角色，他們不得不隱藏心中的恐懼，往往造成沉重的壓力。4、感情世界方面：研究發現受訪者在追求伴侶時顯得較「保守與被動」，而「崎嶇不平的感情路」是引爆憂鬱情緒的重要因素，甚至也會引發嚴重的自殺行為。而三位已為人父的受訪者與孩子間的關係總是有距離，及至孩子漸漸長大，自己面臨一些生命課題時並罹患憂鬱症後，才開始回過頭來檢視親子關係並試圖改變自己。
二、負向重大生活事件為憂鬱症的導火線。研究發現受訪者都遭遇過不少與失落、分離有關的負面生活事件，包括（1）家人、重要他人生病或過世（2）學業及工作壓力（3）其他方面：同志傾向的壓力、退休、移民、經濟壓力以及外遇事件等。而他們對於生活事件所帶來的衝擊多採取消極的因應方式，鮮少向外求助，通常會躲起來哭泣或是遁入宗教，比較激烈者則會選擇自傷一途。
三、男性憂鬱症患者的生病經驗。研究發現生病後男性憂鬱症患者面臨了自我調適與社會觀感的衝擊。他們體驗到不同以往的情緒經驗，開始就醫及嘗試為生病找出合理的解釋，也對憂鬱症及藥物充滿疑慮。從研究中也可以看到男性憂鬱症患者相當在意別人怎麼看憂鬱症，甚至開始關切周遭人的憂鬱問題，而生病的經驗也讓他們從憂鬱症中得到體悟與省思。
- The purpose of this research is to understand the formation and changes of the masculinities in men with depression, as well as their experience of illness. In-depth interview and narrative inquiry were used to explore life stories of six men. The results are summarized as follows:
A. The men with depression possess some factors which may fire up the depressive traits in their life experience.
1. Family background: The interviewees came from miserable family, i.e., one of their parents was either sick or deceased, under strained marriage relationship, and that imperceptibly caused their personality toward more pessimistic and negative thinking than those of ordinary boys. As to the relationship with their father, their parent-child role is often obscure. They usually played the role as being a father at home, and prematurely take the responsibility of the house .As to the mother-child relationship, their mother was relatively weak in the family and the society as well. She was also facing important life issues, for example, got sick, unhappy marriage or lost her spouse. These boys always tightly bound with their mother in order to balance the family relationship. Thus they gradually lost themselves. The role function of mother and son are as vague as that of father and son. Moreover, there are three out of the six interviewees are the eldest son in their family. Bearing the unusual dealing with their parents, they all tacitly approve the expectation from their parent that a role of an eldest son should be playing and are willing to take more responsibility.
2. Experience at school: The interviewees apparently show more “obedient” in the choice of entering higher level academy. Their masculinity is obviously weaker, instead of stronger feminity. In addition, we also found that they had accumulated many psychological truma, which includes frustration ofpeer relationships, academic pressure and humiliation from teachers,while they were in the campus.
3. Experience of work: Due to “uncomfortable working experience”, the interviewees had turned their life into downs. There were a lot of being oppressed experiences and suffers from the work requirement which conflicted with personal personality in their careers. In order to play the stereotype role of male, they cannot help but hide their fear. This brought them even higher pressure.
4. About sentiment: The interviewees appeared to be “conservative and passive” when they were pursuing their right person. “Being stumbled through the sentimental road” is a decisive factor to detonate depression, and the worse may even cause commit suicide. Three fathers among those six interviewees felt that the relationship with their children had been quite a distance. After the children grew up, they themselves had some life issues and suffered from depression, started to survey the parent-child relationship and tried to modify themselves.
B. Negative and crucial daily life events fired up depression. The research found that the interviewees had encountered many negative daily life events which had something to do with loss and separation. For example, (1) The member of their family or other very important person got sick or passed away, (2) The pressure from academy or work, (3) Other aspects: homosexuality, retirement, immigration, financial problem, as well as extramarital affair. They took a passive approach to deal with the impact arose from those events and rarely sought any help from outside resource. In general, they’d isolate themselves and sobbed or sheltered in religion. Some radical ones may drive themselves to self-mutilate.
C. The experience of illness in men with depression. The research found that the man with depression had confronted the self-adjustment and the impact of social perception after they had been falling ill. They went through the emotional changes which they had never had before. They went to a doctor for treatment and tried to find a reasonable explanation to the illness. Yet, they were full of doubtfulness regarding depression and drugs. The research also indicated that they were very concerned about the viewpoints how others looked at the depression and began to care about people around him who had the same depressive problem. Their experience in the illness helped them to have understanding and reflection of major depression disorder.
