The Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Menopause, Somatization Symptoms, and Quality of Life

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate how attitudes about menopause affect somatization symptoms and quality of life.
Methods: In this descriptive study, the Sociodemographic Information Form, Attitude Scale Towards Menopause, Somatization Scale, and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale were administered face-to-face to 232 menopausal women between 01.12.2022 and 01.03.2023. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Independent Sample t-Test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and correlation.
Results: Of the participants, 43.1% were aged 50–59, and 80.2% were postmenopausal. Menopause occurred between the ages of 45-49 in 38.8% and occurred naturally in 69.8%. A significant negative and low-level correlation was found between MITÖ and somatization scores, as well as between attitudes toward menopause and menopause-specific quality of life (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Adopting a negative attitude toward menopause can exacerbate somatization symptoms and reduce quality of life. To improve the quality of life of menopausal women, it is recommended that somatization symptoms be assessed alongside menopausal symptoms.

Keywords

• Menopause
• Quality of Life
• Women
• Attitude
• Somatization
• Nursing

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Hitit University Research Ethics Committee (Decision Number: 2022-25). Consent was obtained from the participants.

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