Determining the relationship between aging anxiety and conscious awareness in adult women

The research was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the relationship between aging anxiety and mindfulness in middle-aged adult women. Research data were collected with sociodemographic data collection form, Conscious Awareness Scale and Aging Anxiety Scale in Middle Aged Women. Statistical analyzes were made using the SPSS-24 package program using Whitney, chi-square test and correlation analysis.The sample of the study, which was conducted between 05.04.22 and 01.01.23, consists of 466 women aged 40-59 years and older living in Turkey. The power of the study was found to be 99% (d=0.20 effect size and 5% margin of error). According to the results of the research, as age increases, the level of aging anxiety and social worthlessness subscores increase in women, and higher social worthlessness sub-scores were found in singles (Z=-2.433; p=0.015). With the increase in education level, physical weakness and social worthlessness sub-scales of aging anxiety decrease(χ2=10.406; p=0.034 ;χ2=9.606; p=0.048). Physical weakness and appearance changes scores were higher in women with less income than their expenses (χ2=20.950; p=0.000 ;χ2=16.372; p=0.000). Aging anxiety is high in women who have entered the menopause, and it was found that the presence of chronic disease increases physical weakness in women, which in turn increases the level of aging anxiety (Z=-2.259; p=0.024). Aging anxiety was found to be low in women with higher levels of mindfulness (Z=-3.391; p=0.001). In addition, women with high levels of mindfulness had lower levels of negative expectation from life and worthlessness in society. The mindfulness scale scores of women without aging anxiety were found to be significantly higher than those with aging anxiety. As the level of mindfulness increases in women, the sub-steps of aging anxiety, which are physical weakness, changes in appearance, sense of social worthlessness and negative expectations, decrease (p<0.05). Since public health prioritizes improving the health of individuals and aging more actively, it is an important health problem for women to spend their aging processes actively and productively. In this respect, public health nurses consider women's aging anxiety and their experiences in this process. The research contributes to the relationship structure between mindfulness programs used in the field of health promotion and aging anxiety in the literature. Uncovering the conceptual relevance can offer a holistic approach to public health assessments and interventions. In addition, it is recommended that mindfulness studies to control aging anxiety in women should be included in the education processes of public health nursing and community mental health nursing, which is a sub-branch. Keywords: Mindfulness, middle-aged adult, public health, women's health, community mental health nursing, aging anxiety.