[Conflict areas in two psychotherapeutic groups of climacteric women].

BACKGROUND: An important consideration is to specify the areas of conflict that will be worked on during the psychotherapeutic process in order to develop a specific psychological model for a group intervention with menopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the most relevant areas of psychological conflict for women in the menopausal stage by means of a focalization technique.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: A descriptive, cross-sectional, longitudinal study with non-experimental design was done in 29 patients from the Perinatology National Institute of Mexico (INPer). Two groups were formed (A and B), each one with 17 participants; however, in the first session only 12 women from group A assisted. Seventeen therapy sessions were analyzed. Group formation and the number of sessions were based on research and patients needs. Women were given psychotherapeutic care once a week at the psychology department of INPer, for 90 minutes by session. Psychotherapeutic management during sessions was in charge of psychologist responsible of climacteric program of psychology department; while Gesell chamber observer was a psychologist with groups' specialization. For the statistical analysis frequency measures were used.

RESULTS: Eleven areas were identified, which showed a great similarity in both groups. Main ones were: relation of the patient to relatives or extensive family, relation to the partner and relation to the children.

CONCLUSIONS: This work favors a dynamic therapeutic process with the patients, in addition to being a technique, which provides structure and guidance during menopause.