Aging anxiety and menopause-specific quality of life: the parallel mediating roles of self-efficacy and self-acceptance.

BACKGROUND: Menopause is a significant life transition during which women experience both physical and psychological changes. Aging anxiety has been identified as a key psychological factor that may negatively affect menopause-specific quality of life. However, the mediating roles of self-efficacy and self-acceptance in the relationship between aging anxiety and quality of life have not been sufficiently examined. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the parallel mediating roles of self-efficacy and self-acceptance in the relationship between aging anxiety and menopause-specific quality of life among women experiencing menopausal symptoms. METHODS: This study used secondary data from 114 women experiencing menopausal symptoms (N = 114). Aging anxiety was treated as the independent variable, self-efficacy and self-acceptance as mediators, and menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) as the dependent variable. A parallel mediation analysis with 5,000 bootstrap samples was conducted. RESULTS: Aging anxiety showed a significant direct effect on menopause-specific quality of life (B = 1.40, p < 0.001). The total indirect effect through self-efficacy and self-acceptance was statistically significant (B = 0.36, 95% CI [0.03, 0.71]). However, the specific indirect effects through self-efficacy and self-acceptance were not statistically significant, as their confidence intervals included zero. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that aging anxiety may influence menopause-specific quality of life both directly and indirectly through the combined effects of self-efficacy and self-acceptance. Self-efficacy and self-acceptance may operate jointly rather than independently as mediators in this relationship. Therefore, interventions aimed at reducing aging anxiety and strengthening psychological resources may be beneficial for improving quality of life among women experiencing menopausal symptoms.