Assessment of Psychosocial Problems and Coping Strategies among Postmenopausal Women in a Selected Rural and Urban Area at Ludhiana

Background of the study:

Cessation of menstruation termed as menopause is the most striking feature during the period of transition from the reproductive to the non-reproductive stage of life. Due to hormonal changes women may experience a wide range of physical, psychological and social problems. Issues associated with their fertility and decreased reproductive functioning makes them feel less desirable in the society. Psychological symptoms cause more damage to daily life and are also most often neglected. Stress due to transition includes adjusting to the changing self, adapting to alterations in sexuality caused by hormonal shifts. Coping strategies help the women to overcome these problems and lead a normal life.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the psychosocial problems and coping strategies of postmenopausal women in selected communities of Ludhiana.

Objectives of the study:

The objectives of the study are;

1. To determine the level of psychosocial problems among postmenopausal women

2 To find out the coping strategies among postmenopausal women.

3. To find the association of psychosocial problems and coping strategies with the demographic variables.

Method: A descriptive survey approach was used for the study. The sample consisted of 50 postmenopausal women, selected by purposive random sampling method. Data was collected by structured interview schedule on psychosocial problems and coping strategies among postmenopausal women prepared by the investigator. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings showed that 37(74%) of postmenopausal women were having moderate psychosocial problems, 13(26%) of them were having mild psychosocial problems and none of them were having severe psychosocial problems. Majority (74%) of the postmenopausal women adopted adequate coping strategies and the least (26%) of them adopted inadequate coping strategies.

The study showed that there is a significant association of the level of psychosocial problems with the selected demographic variables like educational status, monthly income, religion, most supportive person in the family and the duration of menopause. The calculated χ² value of educational status (χ² = 7.68), monthly income (χ² =24.88), religion (χ² = 8.14), the most supportive person in the family (χ² = 13.93) and duration of menopause in years (χ² = 12.75) were more than the table values at 0.05 level of significance. Hence null hypothesis is rejected and research hypothesis is accepted. The findings also shows that there is no significant association of the level of psychosocial problems with the selected demographic variables like age, marital status, occupation, type of family, member of any social groups, parity and age of achievement of menopause. The calculated Chi-square value for age (χ² =3.06), marital status (χ² =2.71), occupation (χ² =1.33), type of family (χ² =0.24), member of any social groups (χ² = 0), parity (χ² = 4.04) and age of achievement of menopause (χ² = 1.05) were less than the table value, hence the null hypothesis is accepted.

The study showed that there was a significant association of the level of coping strategies with the selected demographic variables like age, marital status, educational status, occupation, monthly income, age of achievement of menopause and duration of menopause (in years). The calculated χ² value of age (χ² =11.52), marital status (χ² = 10.52), educational status (χ² = 8.86), occupation (χ² = 4.63), monthly income (χ² = 15.92), age of achievement of menopause (χ² = 7.98) and duration of menopause in years (χ² = 10.45) were more than the tables value at 0.05 level of significance. Hence null hypothesis is rejected and research hypothesis is accepted. The findings also shows that there is no significant association of the level of coping strategies with the selected demographic variables like religion, type of family, member of any social groups and parity. The calculated Chi-square value for religion (χ² =3.85), type of family (χ² = 1.27), member of any social groups (χ² = 0) and parity (χ² = 0.78) were less than the table value, hence the null hypothesis is accepted.

Interpretation and conclusion: The finding of the study have certain important implications for the nursing profession such as in nursing practice, nursing education, nursing research and nursing administration. This study was conducted with the objective to assess the psychosocial problems and coping strategies among postmenopausal women at Ludhiana.