The effect of social support perceived by menopausal women on the symptoms of menopause

Introduction and aim: Social support is an important factor in the management of the symptoms of menopause. This study was conducted to determine the effect of social support perceived by menopausal women on the symptoms of menopause. Material and method: The population of this descriptive study consisted of climacteric women who presented to the Gynecology and Obstetrics Outpatient Clinics of Ministry of Health-Erzincan University, Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital between November 2016 and March 2017. No sampling was made for the study and 297 women aged from 40 to 60 years who met the inclusion criteria in the period mentioned above comprised the sample of the study. The data were collected by the investigator through face-to-face interviews using a Descriptive Questionnaire, the MRS and the MSPSS. The date were analyzed using percentages, mean, t test in independent groups, Variance Analysis and Pearson correlation analysis. Results: The mean age of the women included in the study was 52.90±3.82. The mean MSPSS score of the women was found to be 49.50±15.53 and their mean MRS score to be 18.84±7.19. The mean total and Family, Friends and Significant One subdomain scores of the MSPSS were found to have a poor negative correlation with the mean scores of the MRS (p<0.001). Conclusion: The social support perceived by the women seemed to be at a moderate level and their severity of menopause symptoms was below moderate level. Nurses are recommended to provide consultancy services and support to climacteric women to decrease their menopausal complaints. Keywords: Nursing, Menopause, Menopausal Symptom, Social Support.