Developing an Instrument to Measure Climacteric Symptoms among Korean and Japanese Women / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct a measurement instrument for climacteric symptoms among Korean and Japanese women. METHODS: From Dec. 1st of 2003 to March 30th of 2004, in-depth interviews were made with 26 women (15 in Jinju, Korea and 11 in Nagasaki, Japan) aged from 45 to 59 years who had not taken hormone replacement therapy to relieve the climacteric symptoms. A draft questionnaire with 45 items was constructed on the basis of the interview data and literature review. Three obstetricians, three PhDs in nursing science, and a chief nurse who was exclusively in charge of the climacteric management, examined the draft questionnaire to evaluate content validity. After deletions 39 items remained for a preliminary questionnaire. A survey was conducted by using a convenient sampling method in Jinju of Korea and Nagasaki of Japan during the period from April 1st, 2004 to July 10th, 2005. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified 4 factors, which were "mental and psychological symptoms", "physical symp-toms", "loss of autonomic nervous system symptoms", "sexual symptoms". These four factors explained 46.9% of total variance. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that climacteric symptom scale was multidimensional, and the reliability and validity of the scale was supported.

Health Factors Related to Management of Menopause among Climacteric Women / 여성건강간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the correlations between management of menopause, urinary incontinence and sexual satisfaction in climacteric women. METHOD: This study was conducted using a convenient sampling method in and around Jinju city, and each participant gave consent for the research. A total sample of 250 middle-aged women aged 40 to 60 years were chosen for the study, of which 157 women completed the questionnaires used for the analysis. Data was collected from Jan 1st to Mar 31st, 2004 by structured questionnaires (questionnaires for management of menopause, urinary incontinence and sexual satisfaction). RESULT: The characteristic variables significantly related to management of menopause were occupation and religion. The characteristic variable significantly related to urinary incontinence was age. The characteristic variables significantly related to sexual satisfaction were religion, economic status, and frequency of delivery. The relationship between management of menopause and sexual satisfaction was statistically significant with a positive correlation. CONCLUSION: It is hoped that the above findings will stimulate health promoting programs for climacteric women.

Development of and Educational Program for the Management of Menopause and It's Effect / 간호학회지

The two objectives of this study were 1) to develop an educational program based on the Self-Efficacy Theory(SET) of Bandura, and 2) to investigate the effects of the educational program on the management of menopause. The investigation process of this study was done in two phases. The first phase was to development an educational program through video tape. A telephone coaching program served as a follow-up to the educational video program and provided encouragement and support to the subjects. The second phase was the experimental stage. This experimentation was conducted to determine whether an educational program based on theory of Bandura would increase self-efficacy and management of menopause. RESULTS: The developed video consisted of 2 parts. Part one discussed symptoms and management of menopause. Part two reflected the vicarious step-by-step success of middle-aged women's of menopause through the effective use of the 5 factors mentioned above. Telephone coaching program served as a followed to the educational video program and provided encouragement and support to the subjects. Total length of video is 32 minutes. Hypothesis stated in phase two were supported by the following result. Experimental group increased general-self-efficacy scores. Experimental group increased concrete-self-efficacy scores. Experimental group increased objective and subjective management of menopause scale.