ENHANCING MENOPAUSAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG RURAL WOMEN USING EFFECTIVE TRAINING INTERVENTIONS
Menopause is an important life stage for psychologists to consider, as a large number of women seek help during the menopause transition for health education, information, and advice as well as for treatment for problematic hot flushes and night sweats. It is important that health professionals are aware of the influences of menopause beliefs, lifestyle and cultural traditions and are able to provide women with balanced, evidence based information to enable them to make informed choices. For this purpose, information sessions and educational materials and intervention programmes to minimize the discomforts of menopause should be made available in a variety of community settings. This would ensure that all segments of the population have access to information on the menopause and help them cope with the adversities.
The major aim of the study was to verify the effect of an Intervention Training on the management of menopausal problems among rural women. This project also verified the extent to which some psychological variables like self-efficacy, optimism, resilience, hope, social support, self-regulation etc. significantly predict menopausal adjustment. Awareness and better adjustment at this age can automatically contribute to enhancement of home, occupational, emotional and social adjustment. For this purpose repeated measures of ANOVA, Correlation analysis and Regression analysis were used.
Among the menopausal problems experienced by the sample women psychological problems comes to 36%, physical 18%, social 11%, Joint problems 11%, Bladder problems 9% vaginal problems 8% and sexual problems 7%. The results indicate that problems experienced by the sample women are mainly psychological. The Psychological, Physical and social dimensions of menopausal adjustment showed a significant reduction after the intervention programme. Menopausal adjustment showed a significant positive correlation with optimism, Self efficacy, Emotional support, emotion regulation, Hope and Resilience. Self-efficacy, hope and resilience were found to predict about 59 percent menopausal adjustment in the sample women.
The research has implications for healthcare providers, family members and the society as a whole. This is necessary in providing informational, social and emotional support for menopausal women, which will assist them in making better adjustment to the challenges they are faced with. In this study, the respondents were not significantly different in their perception of psychological and social support needs probably due to their similar cultural background such as what they hold true or value most as regards beliefs, which may have influenced their perception. Hence, culture may have been responsible. Therefore, such women require psychological counseling to enable them see their needs in the actual context of what they are, and not because of culture. The results of the research work would be of great relevance to advocacy in civic affairs and on civic competence, and in developing training programs for the women. The study would be highly relevant to policy makers so that policies and procedures of employers need to address menopause related issues.