title: A psycho-educational program for improving women's attitudes and coping with menopause symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the impact of participation in a psycho-educational program on women's attitudes toward menopause, the perceived severity of their symptoms, and the association between the two.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quasi-experimental. Data were gathered at baseline and 3 months after termination of the program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two health maintenance organization clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-two healthy 40- to 60-year-old women who chose to participate in the study. Thirty-six women participated in the program, and 46 women comprised the control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Program participants met for 10 weekly sessions to receive information from a professional team on subjects related to menopause and to share and discuss their experiences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Attitudes toward menopause and severity of menopause symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The more negative the attitudes, the higher was the severity of symptoms. Participants reported significant improvements in attitudes and reductions in symptom severity compared to their own baseline scores and compared with the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participation in a program that combines delivery of information and processing of experiences on the cognitive, emotional, and social levels may improve women's attitudes toward menopause and ease the perceived severity of their symptoms, thereby increasing quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Health Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, P.O. Box 39049, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel. mina_rotem@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rotem
authors.forename: Talma
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kushnir
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Mally
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ehrenfeld
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012938:Social Perception