Keywords
Counselling Intervention
Perceived Stress
Women's Mental Health
Psychological Well-being
Coping Strategies
Stress Management
How to Cite
Abstract
Menopause is a significant biopsychosocial transition characterized by hormonal, psychological, and social changes that may increase vulnerability to perceived stress and emotional distress. Although the physical symptoms of menopause have received considerable attention, the psychological challenges experienced during this stage often remain under-addressed. Counselling has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for promoting emotional well-being and enhancing coping abilities among menopausal women. The present study examined the effectiveness of counselling in reducing perceived stress among menopausal women using a quantitative pre–post experimental design. A sample of 50 menopausal women aged 45–55 years was selected through convenience sampling. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) before and after a structured counselling intervention comprising stress management strategies, emotional awareness, cognitive restructuring, and coping skill development. Descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed a significant reduction in perceived stress following counselling intervention. Mean stress scores decreased from 25.20 (SD = 4.03) during the pre-test to 20.80 (SD = 5.47) during the post-test, indicating an average reduction of 4.40 points. The paired-sample t-test demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in stress outcomes, t(49) = 8.26, p < .001, with a large effect size (d = 1.17). Furthermore, the proportion of participants classified in the high-stress category decreased substantially following intervention. The findings support the effectiveness of counselling as a valuable psychological intervention for stress reduction during menopause and highlight the importance of integrating mental health services into women's healthcare programmes. The study contributes to the growing literature on non-pharmacological approaches to promoting psychological well-being among midlife women.
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