Development of the Menopause Perception Scale.

Objective: How women perceive menopause depends on how well they go through that period of time. However, there is no measure that can be used to assess how women perceive menopause. Therefore, we developed a valid and reliable scale (Menopause Perception Scale [MPS]) to assess how women perceive menopause.

Methods: This methodological research was conducted in three stages. First, we developed items and assessed their content validity. Second, we collected data from 470 women. Third, we assessed the scale for validity and reliability. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used for construct validity. Cronbach's α was calculated for reliability. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for criterion validity. Mean comparison tests were performed for known-groups validity.

Results: The MPS had a content validity index of 0.90. It had a Kaiser-Meier-Olkin score of 0.768, for which Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (1,778.047; P < 0.001). The values were acceptable. The exploratory factor analysis yielded an 18-item structure with factor loads greater than 0.40. It also revealed a four-factor model (acceptance, perceived sexuality, normalization, and perceived support) confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis. The fit indexes were acceptable. The model explained 56.64% of the total variance. The internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's α = 0.824). There were positive correlations between the scale and its subscales. Furthermore, the MPS was significantly correlated with the Menopause Attitude Assessment Scale ( r = 0.334, P < 0.001) and the Menopause Rating Scale ( r = -0.286, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The MPS is a valid, reliable, user-friendly, and practical self-report measure with satisfactory psychometric properties. Researchers should conduct cross-cultural studies to adapt it to other cultures.