The effectiveness of a group-based educational program on the self-efficacy and self-acceptance of menopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a group-based educational training on the self-efficacy and self-acceptance of Iranian menopausal women using the PRECEDE–PROCEED model. This Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted on 80 menopausal women in the age range of 47–55 years residing in the northeast of Iran. The participants were divided randomly into a test group (n = 40) and a control group (n = 40). We found that designing and implementation of a group-based educational training according to the PRECEDE–PROCEED model can significantly enhance the knowledge and performance of the test group with regard to self-efficacy and self-acceptance.     

Economic Viability Among Post-Retirement Aged Women

Longer life expectancy has increased concern about living standards among elder women. This paper examines the relation between labor market status and living standard post-retirement. We use data from two national surveys to contrast economic circumstances of post-retirement aged and currently employed women. Financial resources of aged women and factors associated with their magnitude are identified. We examine current economic resources and employee benefits of women who will retire after the year 2000. The paper concludes with a discussion of proactive mid-life strategies for long-term economic stability among women, with emphasis on unique concerns, of black women.     

Socioeconomic Factors in Menopausal Women's Use of Hormone Replacement Therapy

This study examines if education, income, and medical insurance coverage are primary factors in determining whether menopausal women use hormone replacement therapy (HRT). To accomplish this purpose, the author conducted a survey of 62 women between 30 and 60 years of age. These women completed a self-administered questionnaire that provided both quantitative and qualitative information. The results suggest that these socioeconomic factors increase the likelihood that menopausal women will receive treatment with HRT. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.     

Attitude Toward Menopause and Aging: A Study on Postmenopausal Women of West Bengal

We examined the attitude of postmenopausal women toward menopause and aging with respect to sociodemographic variables and postmenopausal years. Four hundred and eighty postmenopausal women representing Bengali-speaking Hindu ethnic group of West Bengal, India were interviewed about their attitude toward menopause and aging. Information on sociodemographic and reproductive characteristics and menopausal symptoms were also collected. The participants were categorized into four groups based on postmenopausal years (Group 1: ≤2; Group 2: >2 to ≤5; Group 3: >5 to ≤8; and Group 4: >8). The attitude did not differ significantly among different groups, but it differed significantly when compared for residential status and per capita monthly household expenditure (pooled groups), for residential and educational status (Groups 3 and 4), and per capita monthly household expenditure (Group 3). Hierarchical linear regression (stepwise) shows per capita monthly expenditure, age at menopause, years after menopause, and menopausal symptoms (irritability and inability to hold urine) significantly predict attitude.     

Experiencing menopause in the UK: The interrelated narratives of normality,distress, and transformation

ABSTRACT

We investigated the experience and perspectives of menopause among 48 UK mothers through qualitative in-depth interviews. Interviews were analyzed thematically then explored using social science theories. Three interdependent narratives emerged: menopause as a normal, biological process, distinct from self and social transitions; menopause as struggle, an “idiom of distress” expressing upset, identity loss, shame, and social upheaval; and menopause as transformative and liberating, arising from biopsychic and relational changes. Some women followed a predictable “rite of passage” trajectory with transformation emerging from distress, but not all: Menopause arises from a complex interplay of personal predicament, somatic change, and sociocultural context.     

Childhood disadvantages and the timing of the onset of natural menopause in Latin America and the Caribbean

The aim of this study is to investigate the association of early life factors with the timing of the onset of natural menopause in Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. We use Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the risk of the onset of menopause. Our results suggest that socioeconomic disadvantages, as expressed by difficulties attending school due to economic hardships or parents never living together, increase the risk of the onset of natural menopause among Puerto Rican women. Among Costa Rican women, early life nutrition, estimated using anthropometric measures, is related to the timing of the onset of natural menopause.     

The Ending of Menstruation: Perspectives and Experiences of Lesbian and Heterosexual Women

This article aims to theorize how a sample of menopausal women, lesbian and heterosexual, construct the ending of their periods, and what the experience means for them. Findings indicate that for most of the lesbian participants (who were in a sizeable minority), emotions of loss at the ending of periods were simultaneously expressed alongside positive feelings, and they engaged in greater introspection around the issue than did heterosexual women. However, lesbians did not all take up a singular subject position in relation to menstruation, indicating that there is fragmentation and plurality in how the body is experienced across a group.     

Effectiveness of coaching for enhancing the health of menopausal Japanese women

We conducted and evaluated a coaching intervention aimed at encouraging menopausal women’s engagement in goal-oriented actions, self-efficacy enhancement, menopausal symptom alleviation, and quality of life improvement. The study was a randomized controlled trial comprising women aged 40–60 who were not receiving hormone therapy. The intervention group received leaflets and three monthly coaching sessions. Instruments included the Simplified Menopausal Index, Medical Outcome Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, and goal achievement scale. Participants were measured preintervention, immediately postintervention, and three months postintervention. A 3-month coaching intervention to enhance menopausal women’s health increased their self-efficacy. This effect was not maintained 3 months postintervention.