Is Mindfulness-Based Program Applied Via Telerehabilitation Effective on Mental and Physical Health in Postmenopausal Women?

Objective: To compare the effects of mindfulness-based intervention with supervised telerehabilitation (ST) or video-based telerehabilitation (VBT) on endurance, sleep quality, mental health, quality of life, body awareness, physical activity level, and pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Fifty postmenopausal women aged 50-65 years were randomly allocated to either the supervised telerehabilitation group (STG) (n=26) or the video-based telerehabilitation group (VBTG) (n=24). In both groups, 20 minutes of mindfulness-based intervention was applied every day for six weeks. Before and after intervention, Brief Resilience Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Richard–Campbell Sleep Scale, Nottingham Health Profile, Body Awareness Questionnaire, short forms of International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory were applied for assessment.

Results: The groups were similar in terms of sociodemographic characteristics and outcome measures (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in all parameters measured in the STG before and after the intervention, and only in short forms of International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and Nottingham Health Profile scores in the VBTG (p<0.05). When the difference between groups was compared, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of Brief Resilience Scale, Nottingham Health Profile (except social isolation subscale score), Body Awareness Questionnaire, and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 scores (p<0.05).

Conclusion: These results suggest that Mindfulness-based intervention with ST is more effective than VBT in improving resilience, mental health, sleep quality, quality of life, body awareness, and pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms in postmenopausal women, and ST is an alternative approach.