Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Improving menopausal symptoms and reducing depression in postmenopausal women: Effectiveness of transferring experiences in group education

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Shervin‑Sadat Hashemian
. Soghra Masom‑Alipour 1
. Arash Najimi 2

1 Department of Health Education and Promotion, Faculty of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

2 Department of Medical Education, Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: One of the most critical stages of women’s lives is menopause. Meanwhile,
group training can have a significant effect on reducing menopausal symptoms. The aim of this
study was to investigate the effectiveness of group training on reducing menopausal symptoms in
postmenopausal women.
METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial. The study population was 96 postmenopausal
women visiting health centers in the city of Shazand (Markazi Province, Iran). Data collection tools
in this study were the Menopausal Rating Scale Questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory.
Group training intervention consisted of four training sessions. The duration of each session was
2 h. The questionnaires were completed in two stages of pre‑ and post‑test (8 weeks later) for the
intervention and control groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (absolute and relative
frequency, mean and standard deviation) and analytical statistics (independent t‑test, paired t‑test,
and analysis of covariance).
RESULTS: The mean age in the intervention group and the control group was 49.93 ± 3.44
and 51.66 ± 2.93 years, respectively. In the intervention group, the mean menstrual time was
2.37 ± 167 years and in the control group, the mean time elapsed from the last menstrual
period was 3.91 ± 2.68 years. The mean scores of menopausal physical symptoms (F = 58.69),
menopausal symptoms (F = 43.45), menopausal urinary and genital symptoms (F = 33.50), and
depression (F = 58.25) had a significant decrease in intervention group, while in the control group,
these changes were not significant (P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Regarding the findings of this study, which indicates the effect of group training
program on the improvement of physical, psychological, urinary and genital symptoms, and
menopausal depression, it seems that group training in menopause can be an effective method.

Keywords

Group training
menopausal symptoms
menopause
women
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 10, Issue 11
November 2020
Pages 1-6

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