health psychology report •  original article background Hormonal changes occur in aging men and women. Considering andropausal changes as similar to menopause, however, is still an open topic. The aim of the research was to assess the occurrence and severity of symptoms associated with hormonal changes in men and women and to find similarities between the male and female climacterium.participants and procedure 397 individuals (197 men and 200 women) aged 45 to 68 years were examined. The subjects were divided into three groups, with regards to: risk of symptoms, transition period, and andropause/menopause. A sociodemographic survey, the Self-assessment Test, recommended by the pharmaceutical company Organon for the assessment of androgen deficiency in men, and the Women's Health Questionnaire to measure symptoms considered menopausal were used in the research. resultsThe research results showed that menopause-specific symptoms -psychological, vasomotor and sexual -are consid-ered criterial for andropause. However, women experience a greater spectrum of symptoms associated with hormonal changes than men. An analysis of all the symptoms showed that most of them are clearly visible in the oldest group of men and much earlier in women -during the menopausal period. conclusionsThe symptoms observed in men and women in middle and late adulthood are considered to be characteristic of hormonal changes associated with andropause and menopause. However, due to their different scope, dynamics and consequences, the processes in question remain ambiguous.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and intensity of menopausal symptoms, taking into account the length of one's relationship, its nature and one's assessment of it. participants and procedureThe study included 200 women between the ages of 45 and 68, with secondary or higher education, married or in cohabiting relationships. Women were divided into three groups depending on the experience related to menopause: premenopause (46 respondents), perimenopause (75 respondents), and postmenopause (79 respondents). The study used a survey of self-design, the "Women's Health" Questionnaire (WHQ) by M. Hunter, and the "Partner Relations Questionnaire" (PFB) by K. Hahlweg. resultsMost menopausal symptoms -including those of the greatest severity -are experienced by women in perimenopausal and postmenopausal phases, but one's own relationship's assessment is the lowest in postmenopausal women. In this group of women, relevant and significant relations between the dimensions of the quality of the relationship and the menopausal symptoms are the most numerous. The most essential assessment was the one relating to intimacy -its poor evaluation is accompanied by higher intensity of experienced depression symptoms, somatic symptoms, and disorders of memory and concentration, sex and sleep, and also the sum of menopausal symptoms is higher. In all three groups, no significant differences in the severity of menopausal symptoms were observed between women in marital and cohabiting relationships. In women in the perimenopausal phase, the shorter the length of the relationship (its seniority), the greater is the severity of sexual dysfunction symptoms, whereas in women in the postmenopausal stage, along with the length of the relationship, the severity of psychological and somatic symptoms increases. conclusionsOne should find that the perimenopausal and postmenopausal phases are particularly difficult for women, meaning that the intensity of menopausal symptoms is the greatest during them. The assessment of one's relationship's quality is relevant for the menopausal symptoms experienced. Women who perceive their relationship as more intimate report less severe menopausal symptoms. The type of relationship does not differentiate women with regards to their experience associated with menopause. Both shorter and longer seniority of the relationship may constitute a risk factor triggering an increase of the severity of menopausal symptoms. key words premenopause; perimenopause; postmenopause; quality of the relationship

The quality of emotional relationships depends on the individual characteristics of the partners but, above all, on the relational factors responsible for integrating or risking disintegrating the relationship. Their assessment requires taking a time perspective into account. Each lasting relationship experiences changes in its quality, which may be related to the age of the partners and the time of their life together. The aim of the research was to assess the connection between the age of partners and the length of their relationship and the quality of close relationships, including mutual communication, intimacy and conflict behaviour. They are recognised as key to the quality of the relationship, but it is still open to question how they change over time. The study involved 696 people aged 20-68, including 360 women and 336 men. The respondents were classified into three groups significant for human development, including 16-year age ranges. In the first group, there were 240 people aged 20-35 years (i.e., in early adulthood), the second group consisted of 276 people aged 36-51 years (which is considered appropriate for middle adulthood), and the third group of 180 people aged 52-68 (i.e., in the period associated with the second half of middle age and entering late adulthood).  The respondents were in a lasting relationship from one year to 47 years. The research used a socio-demographic survey questionnaire and K. Halweg's Partner Relations Questionnaire in the Polish adaptation of I. Janicka. It was found that with the age of the partners and duration of the relationship, the number of conflict behaviours increase and the intimacy and mutual communication important for its integration weakens. The most vulnerable to these types of changes are spouses in the second half of middle adulthood and entering old age. Potential processes driving these findings are discussed. The age of the partners and the related seniority of the relationship may lead to changes in its quality. However, they cannot be regarded as sufficient to assess changes in close relationships.