The Relationship Between Menopausal Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Menopausal Women: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility
- 1Karabuk University, Faculty of Medicine
- 2KARABÜK ÜNİVERSİTESİ, TIP FAKÜLTESİ
- 3Karabük Training and Research Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Abstract
Objective: Globally, the menopausal women population is showing a significant increase. Understanding how menopause affects women's emotional well-being and identifying the psychological factors influencing the severity of menopausal symptoms is extremely important. The present study aimed to investigate whether psychological flexibility plays a moderating role between the severity of menopausal symptoms and life satisfaction. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 151 menopausal women aged ≤65 years who completed a sociodemographic data form, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II), the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), administered face-to-face. Results: Psychological flexibility scores were negatively associated with menopausal symptom severity subscales and positively associated with life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was negatively correlated with the psychological and somatic subscales of menopausal symptom severity but showed no statistically significant relationship with urogenital symptoms. Among the covariates, only the psychological subscale of menopausal symptom severity was independently associated with life satisfaction. Mediation analyses indicated that the association between psychological flexibility and life satisfaction was largely indirect, operating through psychological menopausal symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the psychological and somatic dimensions of menopausal symptoms correlate with significantly lower life satisfaction and that this relationship is influenced by psychological flexibility. The findings highlight that psychological factors should not be overlooked during menopause and underscore the pivotal role of adopting a psychologically flexible perspective in life satisfaction. Routine screening for psychological symptoms during the menopausal period and referral to appropriate psychotherapy programs may represent clinically meaningful strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{demir2026relationship,
title = {{The Relationship Between Menopausal Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Menopausal Women: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility}},
author = {Nefise Demir and Zuhal Koç Apaydın and Oğuz Çalıova and Ceyda Zeyrek Çalıova and Rifat Tarhan},
journal = {Current Research in Health Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.62425/crihs.1937444},
url = {https://doi.org/10.62425/crihs.1937444},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Relationship Between Menopausal Symptoms and Life Satisfaction in Menopausal Women: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility
AU - Nefise Demir
AU - Zuhal Koç Apaydın
AU - Oğuz Çalıova
AU - Ceyda Zeyrek Çalıova
AU - Rifat Tarhan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Current Research in Health Sciences
DO - 10.62425/crihs.1937444
UR - https://doi.org/10.62425/crihs.1937444
AB - Objective: Globally, the menopausal women population is showing a significant increase. Understanding how menopause affects women's emotional well-being and identifying the psychological factors influencing the severity of menopausal symptoms is extremely important. The present study aimed to investigate whether psychological flexibility plays a moderating role between the severity of menopausal symptoms and life satisfaction. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 151 menopausal women aged ≤65 years who completed a sociodemographic data form, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II (AAQ-II), the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), administered face-to-face. Results: Psychological flexibility scores were negatively associated with menopausal symptom severity subscales and positively associated with life satisfaction. Life satisfaction was negatively correlated with the psychological and somatic subscales of menopausal symptom severity but showed no statistically significant relationship with urogenital symptoms. Among the covariates, only the psychological subscale of menopausal symptom severity was independently associated with life satisfaction. Mediation analyses indicated that the association between psychological flexibility and life satisfaction was largely indirect, operating through psychological menopausal symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the psychological and somatic dimensions of menopausal symptoms correlate with significantly lower life satisfaction and that this relationship is influenced by psychological flexibility. The findings highlight that psychological factors should not be overlooked during menopause and underscore the pivotal role of adopting a psychologically flexible perspective in life satisfaction. Routine screening for psychological symptoms during the menopausal period and referral to appropriate psychotherapy programs may represent clinically meaningful strategies.
SN - 3023-6991
ER -