Stress and Coping among Perimenopausal Women

Abstract

Introductions: Perimenopause is a transitional stage to menopause. Women may experience greater severity of perimenopausal symptoms associated with an increased level of stress. Experience of perimenopausal symptoms will have a direct effect on how women cope with stress. Aim: To identify stress and coping among perimenopausal women. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out at gynecological and female OPD of Patan Hospital, Lalitpur among 379 perimenopausal women by purposive sampling. Participants were interviewed using Modified Perceived Stress Scale to measure subjective stress perceptions and Modified Brief COPE Inventory to measure specific coping behavior. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16. Frequency, mean, standard deviation, and chi-square were calculated for stress and coping. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between stress and coping. Results: More than half 207 (54.62%) of the perimenopausal women experienced low, 134 (35.35%) experienced moderate, and only 38 (10.03%) experienced high stress level. Among them 334 (88.13%) used problem-focused, 324 (85.49%) used emotion-focused, and 310 (81.80%) used dysfunctional coping in high level. There were significantly weak negative correlation of stress with problem-focused (r = -.132, p = .010) and emotion-focused (r=-.248, p=0.00) coping. Conclusion: More than half of the perimenopausal women experienced low stress. The mostly used coping method was problem-focused coping. Women going through perimenopause should be offered education and support for all aspects of this. Stress reduction interventional programs should be designed at community levels. Keywords: coping, perimenopausal women, stress.