Date of Conferral

3-13-2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Courtney Prather

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how early postmenopausal women experience and navigate emotional and psychological well-being during the postmenopausal transition. Although menopause has been widely examined as a biological process, women’s lived emotional and psychosocial experiences during the early postmenopausal period remain underexplored in psychological research. Conceptually informed by Engel’s biopsychosocial model, this study examined how biological, psychological, and social factors intersect in shaping resilience, identity, and coping during this transitional life stage. Thirteen women within 5 years of menopause onset participated in semi structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase reflexive thematic analysis. Data saturation was reached after 11 interviews and confirmed through two additional interviews. Four themes emerged: emotional adaptation and psychological resilience; physical distress and bodily awareness; social change and evolving identity; and coping and self-regulation strategies. Findings suggest that participants’ perceptions of well-being were shaped by processes of emotional adaptation, bodily awareness, relational change, and individualized coping within broader social contexts. This study contributes qualitative evidence supporting a biopsychosocial understanding of early postmenopause and advances knowledge of the emotional and psychological dimensions of this life transition.

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