Explaining Self-Acceptance based on Body Image, Gender Role, and Sexual Attitude Mediated via Time Perspective in Postmenopausal Women Aged 45-60 Years Old in Tehran, Iran

One of the major events in the evolution of women in the middle age is “menopause”, which poses significant challenges for them. The aim of this study was to explain self-acceptance based on body image, gender role, and sexual attitude mediated by time perspective in postmenopausal women aged 45-60 years in Tehran, Iran in 2020.

The method of this study was structural equation design. The statistical population of consisted of all married women aged 45-60 years in Tehran, Iran. The sample size also included 355 women selected through a cluster sampling method. Multidimensional self-body questionnaire, unconditional self-acceptance questionnaire, gender schema questionnaire, re-gender questionnaire, and time-perspective questionnaire were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed by the use of Pearson correlation tests and path analysis, all of which were carried out using SPSS /Amos version 25.

The results showed that there is a direct relationship between time perspective and self-acceptance (β=0.54, P=0.001). In addition, the study of indirect relationships also revealed that perception of time mediates the effects of body image (β=-0.39, P=0.001), sexual attitude (β=-0.21, P=0.001), and gender role (β=-0.32, P=0.001) on self-acceptance.

Based on the findings, it can be said that time perspective could moderate the harmful relationship between body image, sexual schema, and sexual attitude on self-acceptance.