The effect of spouse support on women's quality of life during menopause

Objective: The study was conducted to determine the effect of spousal support on women's quality of life during menopause. Materials and Methods: The descriptive study was conducted with 200 women who applied to Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University Medical Faculty Hospital between 08/2024-12/2024 and entered menopause. Personal Information Form, Menopause Spousal Support Scale, Utian Quality of Life Scale were used to collect research data. Findings: The mean age of the women participating in the study was 57.18±8.30 years, the mean year of marriage was 35.32±10.95 years, the mean age of menopause was 46.11±4.94 years; the mean duration of menopause was 11.23±8.09 years; the mean age of menstrual cycle onset was 12.55±1.66 years. It was determined that 85.5% of women entered menopause naturally, 59.5% did not have complaints related to menopause, 48.4% of those with menopausal complaints had complaints of hot flashes/sweating, 90.5% did not receive treatment for menopausal complaints, 92% did not receive psychological support for menopause, and 62% did not receive information about menopause. In the study, the total mean score of the Menopause Spousal Support Scale was 106.51±40.11, the mean scores of the sub-dimensions were 33.87±13.42 for "emotional support," 16.32±8.69 for "instrumental support," 39.82±14.73 for "appreciation support," and 16.49±9.07 for "sexual intimacy support." The total mean score of the Utian Quality of Life Scale was 58.56±6.42, and the mean scores of the sub-dimensions were 17.56±2.88 for "professional/work life quality"; 7.66±1.98 for "sexual life quality"; 18.99±3.17 for "healthy life quality"; and 14.35±2.83 for "emotional life quality". A positive, moderate and significant correlation was found between the total of the Menopause Spousal Support Scale and the total of the Utian Quality of Life Scale (r=-0.437; p<.001). The highest correlation was found to be very strong, significant and positive between the total of the Menopause Spousal Support Scale and the sub-dimension of "appreciation support". The variables of spouse employment status, presence of health insurance, and status of receiving information about menopause on the Menopause Spousal Support Scale; It was determined that economic status and menopause age variables were significant predictors on the Utian Quality of Life Scale (p<0.05) Conclusion and Recommendations: According to the findings of the study, it was determined that women had sufficient spousal support during menopause and their quality of life was at a moderate level. It was determined that as the support women received from their spouses increased, their quality of life also increased. In this context; it is recommended that health professionals plan information activities regarding the menopause process not only for women but also for spouses, in order to strengthen couple relationships and increase the quality of life of women in menopause. Keywords: Menopause, Quality Of Life, Spouse Support, Midwifery