Women Religious and Married Women's Attitudes toward Menopause and Menopausal Symptoms.

PURPOSE

This study was done to extend the understanding and knowledge of menopause by comparing attitudes toward menopause and menopausal symptoms of women religious and married women.

METHODS

The data were collected by self-report questionnaires from 126 women religious and 131 married women, between 40 and 59 years of age who lived in P city, D city and K province. A structured questionnaire was used which included demographic and health-related information, attitudes toward menopause, and menopausal symptoms. Data were analyzed by using chi2-test, t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficients with the SPSS/WIN 14.0 program.

RESULTS

The mean score for attitudes toward menopause of women religious and married women was 69.46 +/- 6.15 and 66.98 +/- 6.12 respectfully, and the difference was significant (p=.001). The mean score for menopausal symptoms of women religious and married women was 41.33 +/- 23.55 and 55.99 +/- 30.81 respectively, and the difference was also significant (p<.001). Attitudes toward menopause were negatively correlated with menopausal symptoms (r=-.27, p<.001).