Am J Psychiatry 1984; 141:1386-1391
Copyright © 1984 by American Psychiatric Association
Overview: the female physician and her marriage
MF Myers
Previous research has addressed the marital problems of male but not female
physicians. The author reviews the literature on women in medicine, reports
findings on 16 female physicians with dysfunctional marriages whom he saw
as patients, and describes several problem areas: delayed help seeking,
self-blaming attitude toward subjective symptoms, ambiguity in self-image,
"passivity" in marital communication, role strain, unmet needs in husbands,
bilateral competitiveness, and problems with intimacy and sexuality. The
author emphasizes a biopsychosocial approach to treatment and discusses
transference- countertransference issues.
