Effect of Group Counseling on the Identity Crisis of Middle-aged Women as Health Promotion Behavior

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of group counseling on the identity crisis of middle-aged women referred to outskirt health centers of Urmia, Iran in 2018.

Methods: This randomized, pre-test and post-test control study was conducted on 90 middle-aged women registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT). A researcher visited selected health centers of Urmia randomly divided into three groups according to their social, economic and cultural status (26 health centers at high level, 19 health centers at average level, and 20 health centers at low level). The subjects were those who referred to the family health unit for receiving health care. The demographic characteristics questionnaire (such as age, marital status, number of children, educational level, body mass index, employment status and economic situation, which was designed by the researcher), and middle aged Identity Crisis Questionnaire (ICQ) including aimlessness, futility, hopelessness, lack of self-confidence, worthlessness, dissatisfaction with life, anxiety, sadness, aggression and anger subscales. The intervention (counseling group) was conducted for six weeks held weekly and each session for 60-90 minutes. Independent t-test, Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were performed and analyzed through SPSS software. A P value less than of 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Mean age of women in the intervention group (50. 93 ± 5.38 years) and in the control group (50.55 ± 6.23 years) was 50 years. Also, in the intervention and control groups, the mean number of children was 2.43 ± 1.47 and 2.44 ± 1.49, respectively. In this study, the two groups were homogeneous regarding BMI, education level, husband's education level, economic status, marital status, occupation and dwelling situation (P> 0.05). Mean score of identity crisis and its ten dimensions before and after the intervention in the two groups were significantly different (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in any of the dimensions of identity crisis in the control group (P>0.05).

Conclusion: According to the results, the use of group counseling intervention has been able to improve the identity crisis of middle-aged women in the most dimensions of identity crisis including aimlessness, futility, hopelessness, lack of self-confidence, worthless, dissatisfaction with life and anxiety.