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http://dx.doi.org/10.5934/KJHE.2012.21.6.1043

The Factors Related to the Menopausal Symptoms of Married Middle-Aged Women: Focus on the Effects of Attitudes toward Menopause and Family Related Variables  

Kim, Eunkyung (Dept. of Child Development and Family Studies, Changwon National University)
Lee, Kyung-Hae (Dept. of Food and Nutrition, Changwon National University)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Human Ecology / v.21, no.6, 2012 , pp. 1043-1058 More about this Journal
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify how attitudes toward menopause and family-related variables (living with a first child, satisfaction with children, and marital satisfaction) were associated with the perceived menopausal symptoms of middle-aged Korean females. Data for the study were based on a community sample of 628 women whose ages ranged from 45 to 60, who were currently married and had at least one child. The respondents reported lower levels of menopausal symptoms, medium levels of marital satisfaction and slightly higher levels of satisfaction with children. Feelings of tiredness, irritability, and nervousness without apparent reason, and aches in the lumbago and joints were common menopausal symptoms reported in this study. Regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of monthly income, educational level, employment status, attitudes toward menopause, living with a first child, satisfaction with children, and marital satisfaction on perceived menopausal symptoms. Attitudes toward menopause, living with a first child, satisfaction with children and marital satisfaction were significantly associated with perceived menopausal symptoms. In particular, marital satisfaction had the strongest effect on perceived menopausal symptoms. The results showed that in the face of the developmental challenges experienced during the menopausal transition, family-related variables served as positive reinforcement for married middle-aged women. This finding suggests that in order to improve the menopausal transition, family education programs need to be developed and offered to middle aged females who suffer from severe menopausal symptoms.
Keywords
middle-aged women; menopausal symptoms; attitudes toward menopause; marital satisfaction;
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