Group coaching for Psychological Wellbeing and Health Lifestyle in Menopausal Women:Two parallel Randomized Controlled Experiments

Women undergoing menopause experience a decline in a number of health aspects such as stress, anxiety and depression. These health declines can be countered with physical activity engagement. However interventions targeting increasing physical activity for women undergoing menopause are ineffective and participants experience relapse. The aim of this study was to investigate a group coaching interventions effects, as a standalone intervention and as an add-on to a physical activity intervention, on exercise maintenance, stress, anxiety and depression. Stress and recovery questionnaire, hospital anxiety depression scale and exercise participation was administered before, after a 3 months group coaching intervention as well as at 3 months follow-up. The participants were menopausal women coming from a physical activity intervention (n=56), and a group recruited via an advertisement in a newspaper (n=44). In both cases the participants were randomized into a group coaching group or a waiting control group. Effects of the intervention were tested with repeated measures mixed MANOVA. No effect on exercise continuation was observed. However the results of this study showed that group coaching (GC) over the course of 3 months can help facilitate maintenance of a number of stress factors (Emotional Stress, Social Stress, Conflict Pressure, Lack of Energy, Success and Sleep Quality) and anxiety benefits obtained through participation in a physical activity intervention. The GC intervention also affected Somatic Complaints and anxiety in participants having not participated in a physical activity intervention before.