[Prevalence of menopausal symptoms at perimenopausal period in Kermanshah city]

With respect to increased life expectancy and increased number of middle-age and old population, recognizing the problems and needs of people at these ages can help in promoting the health level of them particularly women. One of the problems of middle-age women is menopause. This descriptive study was conducted to determine the prevalence of menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal women in Kermanshah city. 460 women between 40 - 60 referring to 9 healthcare centers in Kermanshah city were randomly selected. Data were collocted by a questionnaire consisted of items regarding demographic characteristics, menstrual status, menopausal symptoms and Beck depression inventoiy scale Analysis of data showed that 39% of subjects were perimenopausal with mean age of 45.4 +/- 3.7. The majority of subjects was married [86%] and most of them [46%] had school diploma. The mean number of their children was 4 +/- 2. The prevalence of menopausal symptoms was as follows: hot flush [25.3%], night sweats [20.2%], sleep disturbance [36%], palpitation [18%], headache [30.9%], vaginal diyness [6.3%], joint pain [39.3%], vertigo [18%] and depression [39.3%]. Some demographic characteristics of women had correlation with menopausal symptoms such as age, number of children, level of education, educational level of husband, job and sport activities. The prevalence of menopausal symptoms at perimenopausal period was more than other studies in Asian countries and was similar to studies on Caucasian women in European countries. With respect to the prevalence of these symptoms and vulnerability of women, researchers recommend consultation for recognizing and treating these symptoms in middle-age women

[Effects of personal growth group on self-esteem of nursing students in Shaheed Beheshti Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in Tehran]

Self-esteem is considered as an important and integral factors in the growthand actualization of human beings. Since the level of self-esteem is very critical in mental health, clinical and social psychologists focus considerably on it. This quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effects of personal growth group on self-esteem of nursing students in Shaheed Beheshti Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. 10 students between 18 - 25 were selected based on individual interview and their self-esteem grades. The Cooper Smith Self-esteem Questionnaire was used for data collection. The program consisted of 8 sessions, each lasted 2 hours two times a week. At the beginning and at the end of the 8 sessions, student group was asked to complete the questionnaire. A 2 - month follow - up evaluation was performed using the same tool. Mean self-esteem grade was at the beginning 30.62 [SD = 4.38] and 44.5 [SD = 3.16] at the end, and after follow-up, was 42.25 [SD = 5.58]. Descriptive and analytical statistics [Sign Test] was used. Results indicated that there was a significant increase in self - esteem grades before and after the program [P= 0.008], as well as before and after follow-up [P= 0.016]. There was no significant difference between the grades after and at follow- up. The findings revealed that Personal growth group had positive effects on self-esteem of nursing students