title: Associations of menopausal symptoms with job-related stress factors in nurses in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main objective was to ascertain the typical menopausal symptoms and job-related stress factors in Japanese nurses during the menopausal transition, and the associations of menopausal symptoms with job-related stress. A supplementary objective was to determine whether there were any differences in menopausal symptoms and job-related stress factors among nurses in managerial positions.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand seven hundred female registered nurses aged 45-60 years who were working in hospitals in Japan were asked to complete a self-administered survey that included Greene's Climacteric Scale and the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportions of nurses who reported feelings of tiredness, irritability and difficulty in concentration were higher than the proportions with other menopausal symptoms. The proportions of nurses reporting feeling unhappy or depressed and having crying spells were higher among nurses in managerial positions than among other nurses. Stresses related to 'quantitative overload' on the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire among nurses in managerial positions were significantly greater than among nurses not in managerial positions, while stresses related to 'physical overload', 'job control', 'skill discretion', 'workplace environment' and 'job satisfaction' among nurses not in managerial positions were significantly greater than they were among nurses in managerial positions. Psychological symptoms were significantly correlated with poor job-related interpersonal relationships.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care practitioners should be aware that menopausal symptoms are associated with job-related stress during the menopausal transition. Information on the differences in these associations between nurses in managerial positions and other nurses is important as it will allow their health care to be managed on a more individual basis.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Health Sciences, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Technology, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan. Electronic address: yasui@medsci.tokushima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasui
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002979:Climacteric / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D003448:Crying / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007508:Irritable Mood / Q000502:physiology; D007564:Japan; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000523:psychology; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Job-related stress; Menopausal symptoms; Nurses