Navigating the Change of Life: The Menopausal Transition of Thai Immigrant Women
Given that women continue to live more than three decades after menopause and their health and well-being in later life are determined by quality of health during the menopausal transition, menopause has become an important issue in the healthcare arena. The growing number of immigrant women in the United States signifies a need for healthcare providers to develop cultural knowledge and sensitivity toward each immigrant group regarding the issue of menopause. The purpose of this qualitative study was to build a substantive grounded theory of the experiences of menopausal transition among Thai immigrant women in the United States. Data collection involved participant observation and in-depth interviews with 12 women aged 49–61 in their native language. Dimensional analysis (DA) method was selected for the analysis of the data to yield salient dimensions of the women's transitional experiences. “Navigating the change of life”, chosen as the central perspective from among these dimensions, represents a holistic view of the menopausal transition as journey through various stages to a final integration leading to peace and tranquility in a new stage of life. The resultant theoretical model, constructed within the explanatory matrix of DA, ties together the various other dimensions that reveal the processes and meanings of the menopausal transition among the participants. This research contributes culturally based knowledge of the menopausal transition among Thai immigrant women useful to clinicians in nursing and related health disciplines, and also provides a foundation for further research. This body of knowledge also expands general perspectives on immigrant women's health.
Grounded theory, immigrant, Menopausal, nursing, quality of health, Thai, women
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