AN EXPLORATION OF THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF SURGICALLY-INDUCED MENOPAUSAL SAUDI WOMEN USING THE NEUMAN SYSTEM MODEL.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 168
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Women's Studies.; Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies.
Description: With the rising rate of gynecological malignancies, fibrocystic disorders, and pelvic inflammatory diseases and its sequelae, large numbers of young females in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world are undergoing surgical menopause through total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo oophrectomy. By the nature of this surgical procedure, most of these young women will suffer from sudden, premature, surgically induced menopause, which has significant physical and psychological consequences.

A descriptive design was used to identify and describe the physical and psychological responses of the Saudi women to the surgically induced menopause. The sample consisted of 18 Saudi surgically induced menopausal women with an age range of 18 to 42 years who were not on estrogen replacement therapy. The study was conducted by personal interview using a structured open-ended questionnaire developed by the investigator, along with the Neugarten and Kraines' (1965) Menopausal Symptoms Check List. The five variables of Neuman's (1989) systems model were used to guide the research as well as to categorize the responses. Krippendorff's (1980) content analysis methodology was used to analyze and classify responses. Themes and patterns related to surgical menopause were found to relate to the physical symptomatology of hot flashes, bone aches and tiredness, sexual dysfunction, and weight gain. The psychological responses of nervousness and irritability, depression, feeling of loss and emptiness, and missing menstrual periods, as well as the sociocultural responses of infertility were reported by most of the participants. Finally, the developmental response of rapid aging feelings and inability to be energetic and motivated as before were reported. The response of experiencing a positive spiritual growth was also reported by the majority of the participants. The findings of the study suggested a strong relationship between the severity of surgical menopausal symptoms and the amount of emotion invested by those women in the childbearing and childrearing activities. The findings also suggested different degrees of satisfaction and adjustment to the menopausal experience that relate to the underlying gynecological disorders that originally led to surgery.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: B, page: 1374.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1993.

School code: 0005.