The effect of attitudes towards menopause of women over 40 years of age on somatization symptoms and quality of life

This descriptive study aimed to determine the effect of attitude towards menopause on somatization symptoms and quality of life in women over 40 years of age. Data were collected from 232 women over the age of 40 who applied to a Family Health Centre in Ankara between 01.12.2022 and 01.03.2023, using the Socio-demographic Information Form, Menopause-Related Attitude Scale, Somatization Scale, Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Independent Sample t Test, Mann Whitney U and Correlation. In our study, 43.1% of the women were between the ages of 50-59, 19.8% were in menopause, 38.8% of the women entered menopause between the ages of 45-49, and 69.8% entered menopause naturally. The score of Attitudes Towards Menopause Scale was 51.93±14.36 and the score of somatization scale was 12.15±5.85. According to the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale, the most severe symptoms experienced by women were physical symptoms (3.90±1.32), and the mildest level symptoms were psychosocial symptoms (3.36±1.38). There is a low, negative correlation between the Attitudes Towards Menopause Scale and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (p<0.05). A positive, low-level relationship was determined between the Somatization Scale and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Scale (p<0.05). In order to improve the quality of life of women in menopause, it is recommended to evaluate somatization symptoms as well as menopause symptoms. Keywords: Menopause, Woman, Nurse, Quality of Life, Somatization Science Code:1082