The effect of telephone counseling with a positive psychology approach on quality-of-life in postmenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Positive psychology can improve the quality of life of postmenopausal women. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the effect of telephone counseling with a positive psychological approach on the quality-of-life of postmenopausal women. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 70 eligible postmenopausal women (each group=35). The experimental group received eight telephone counseling sessions with a positive psychology approach. Data were collected using questionnaires (demographic characteristics, menopausal women's quality-of-life (MENQOL), and depression anxiety stress scale (DASS-21) on social media platforms (WhatsApp), before, immediately, and 2 months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using chi-square, independent t-test, Friedman, and Mann-Whitney tests in SPSS 16 software. Results: The mean (SD) of quality-of-life score two months after the intervention in the experimental group was 15.50 (7.62) and in the control group was 25.19 (12.19). The mean quality-of-life scores in the experimental group were lower than the scores of the control group. This significant difference remained in the experimental group until follow-up, two months after the intervention (P <0.001). Friedman's test also showed that the quality-of-life variable in the experimental group had a statistically significant change in different phases (P<0.001). According to the median scores, the quality-of-life has improved over time. Conclusion: Telephone counseling with a positive psychology approach can improve quality-of-life in postmenopausal women. Given this, it is recommended that positive interventions be used to promote mental health during menopause, among other methods to improve health.