Middle-aged women's experiences on mental health promotion: a content analysis study

Mental health in middle ages، especially in women is vulnerable due to the frequent changes in this age period and consequences of the changes. Considering the importance of promoting mental health in this period، the present study aimed to explain the women''s experiences on their mental health promotion during the middle ages. In this conventional qualitative content analysis using a semi-structured interview، 23 participants were selected. Considering the maximum variation among the participants، sampling was made gradually until data saturation through purposive sampling from the middle-aged women living in Kashan. Data analysis and sampling were conducted simultaneously. Results showed that mental health promotion in the middle-ages can be contributed to two main themes including «continuity of mental health care to youth» and «mental reconstruction» with subcategories of achieving to physical ideals، happiness promotion، stress relief and spiritual growth. Findings of this study reveal that the middle-aged women use different strategies for achieving and promoting their mental health; some of these solutions have short-term efficacy. However، using the effective coping strategies and providing the facilities for the extensive use of these strategies by the mental health authorities can promote mental health of the middle-aged women.