Determination of aging anxiety in middle-aged women

The study was collected from women between the ages of 40 and 59 years by an online survey method. While collecting the data of the participants, the women's personal characteristics diagnostic form and the Aging Anxiety Scale for Middle-Aged Women were used. The data were analyzed with the SPSS 26 statistical software.

RESULTS:

The aging anxiety of the women was found to be moderate (53.05±16.26). A significant correlation was found between women's menopausal status, household income, education level, and total score of aging anxiety (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION:

In addition to working outside the home, women are also burdened with duties inside the home. To improve their quality of life, women need to share many of the tasks imposed on them with other family members. To reduce the anxiety experienced by women during the climacteric period, it is recommended to provide psychosocial support to women and consider this issue in health policies. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, have important duties to reduce anxiety and stress, which constitute the basis of many chronic diseases. It is recommended that nurses, who are health ambassadors, direct women with anxiety to psychological support services through screenings they will conduct for women during this period.

KEYWORDS:
Aging; Anxiety; Female; Gender

		n	%
Age (years; average)		46.34±5.24
Marital status
	Single	38	15.8
	Married	202	84.2
Educational levels
	Illiterate	3	1.3
	Literate	2	0.8
	Primary school graduate	18	7.5
	Secondary school graduate	13	5.4
	High school graduate	59	24.6
	University graduate	145	60.4
Profession
	Employee	170	70.8
	Pensioner	13	5.4
	Housewife	57	23.8
Child status
	None	28	11.7
	1 child	58	24.2
	2 children	109	45.4
	3 children	28	11.7
	4 and more children	17	7.1
Menopausal status
	There is	77	32.1
	None	163	67.9
Whom she lives with at home
	Alone	14	5.8
	With her family	224	93.3
	With a friend	2	0.8
Household income level
	Inadequate	23	9.6
	Medium	166	69.2
	Good	51	21.3

		Physical competence	p-value	Anxiety about changes in appearance	p-value	Social value	p-value	Negative expectations about aging	p-value	AASMAW total score	p-value
Average		12.66±4.28		10.84±4.71		20.98±8.58		8.58±3.33		53.05±16.26
Menopausal status
	There is	13.57±4.80	0.02	11.27±4.57	0.33	22.86±8.74	0.02	9.08±2.91	0.10	56.77±16.56	0.01
	None	12.23±3.95	0.02	10.64±4.77	0.33	20.09±8.39	0.02	8.34±3.49	0.10	51.29±15.86	0.01
Age (years)
	≥46	12.70±4.55	0.88	11.01±4.61	0.60	21.40±8.89	0.46	8.63±3.10	0.80	53.74±16.59	0.53
	<46	12.62±4.04	0.88	10.69±4.80	0.60	20.60±8.32	0.46	8.52±3.53	0.80	52.42±15.99	0.53
Marital status
	Married	12.76±4.22	0.41	10.83±4.82	0.91	21.00±8.51	0.94	8.67±3.34	0.31	53.24±16.39	0.67
	Single	12.13±4.63	0.41	10.92±4.08	0.91	20.89±9.10	0.94	8.08±3.26	0.31	52.02±15.71	0.67

	Physical competence p-value	Anxiety about changes in appearance p-value	Social value p-value	Negative expectations about aging p-value	AASMAW total score p-value
Educational level	0.009	0.406	0.002	0.27	0.004
Child status	0.036	0.943	0.302	0.052	0.546
Whom she lives with at home	0.844	0.647	0.143	0.644	0.553
Household income level	0.001	0.924	0.042	0.244	0.026
Profession	0.930	0.134	0.240	0.214	0.518

Associação Médica Brasileira R. São Carlos do Pinhal, 324, 01333-903 São Paulo SP - Brazil, Tel: +55 11 3178-6800, Fax: +55 11 3178-6816 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: ramb@amb.org.br

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[1] *Corresponding author: muharremkiskac@gmail.com