本研究目的在探討處於空巢期的中年人，在面對子女離家後生活經驗的樣貌，包含這一階段的心路歷程、親子互動以及夫妻之間的互動，採用詮釋現象學的研究方法，以主題分析法對文本進行分析詮釋，以呈現子女離巢之中年人對空巢狀態下生活的心境，以及在親子、夫妻相處中的經驗感受，以提供更深入的理解及建議，以幫助中年族群更好地應對子女離家帶來的挑戰。
研究者邀請四位來自大陸的正處於空巢期的中年受訪者，以半結構訪談的方式收集資料，詮釋了空巢中年夫妻的生活經驗本質與意義：（一）輕鬆面對新階段，雛鳥雖去心不空；（二）雛鳥高飛，喜憂參半；（三）夫妻亦戰友，親密更可靠。最後，根據研究結果，針對空巢中年、空巢中年之子女、社區以及心理輔導相關專業人士、未來研究方向提出具體建議以及反思。

The purpose of this study is to explore the life experience of middle-aged people in the empty nest period when they face their children leaving home, including the mental journey, parent-child interaction and the interaction between husband and wife at this stage, using the research of interpretive phenomenology Methods: Analyzing and interpreting the text with thematic analysis to present the state of mind of middle-aged people whose children have left the nest for living in an empty nest state, as well as their experience and feelings in parent-child and husband-wife relationship, so as to provide deeper understanding and suggestions. To help middle-aged people better cope with the challenges brought about by their children leaving home.
The researcher invited four middle-aged respondents from mainland China who were in the empty-nest period to collect data through semi-structured interviews, explaining the essence and significance of the life experience of empty-nest middle-aged couples: (1) Facing the new life with ease In the stage, although the young bird is not empty-handed; (2) the young bird flies high, with mixed joys and sorrows; (3) the husband and wife are also comrades-in-arms, and closeness is more reliable. Finally, according to the research results, specific suggestions and reflections are put forward for the empty-nest middle-aged, children of empty-nest middle-aged, professionals in the community and psychological counseling, and future research directions.

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