Effects of a Support Group on Knowledge and Attitude Toward Menopause of Mid-Life Women Attendees

Date of Award

5-1997

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Judith Shannon Lynch

Abstract

A descriptive, correlational, non-experimental study was performed to examine the effects of a menopause support group on mid-life women's knowledge of and attitude towards menopause.. The support group was located in a small town with a sample of 66 women (N-66). Data were gathered with a three part self-report questionnaire. Demographics and health care characteristics were collected by using the Demographic Data Questionnaire (DDQ). Women's knowledge of menopause was calculated using the Menopause Knowledge Questionnaire (MKQ) and women's attitudes were computed with the Menopause Attitude Scale (MAS). Demographic data were correlated with the composite scores of each attendee from the MKQ and the MAS. The Person Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between knowledge and attitude in this sample of mid-life women. The support group was described as Caucasian, well-educated, married, employed, and health. The MKQ revealed a good basic knowledge of menopause with college graduates having a significantly greater knowledge about menopause that women who had some college but had not graduated. Seventy percent of women indicated a neutral attitude toward menopause. These data support previous studies of mid-life women. It was hypothesized that the greater the knowledge a woman had about menopause the more positive her attitude would be. This hypothesis was not supported (r{64} = -.117, p> .05). Reasons for this could be attributed to the limitations of a convenience study, the homogeneity of the sample. The impact of social support on increased knowledge and a more positive attitude was discussed. Recommendations for qualitative research of healthy mid-life women and for minority women were addressed. The importance of providing client education about menopause by advanced nurse practitioners was discussed.

Comments

Master's Thesis submitted to the Faculty Sacred Heart University Nursing Program in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree Master of Science in Nursing.

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