Correlations between severity of menopausal complications, depression, and anxiety

Abstract

Background: Menopause is one of the female life stages affecting their mental health due to symptoms experienced by them during this period. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between severity of menopausal symptoms, depression and anxiety. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was performed on 120 females aged 45-65 years in the city of Larestan, Iran. Subjects were selected by convenience sampling. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, Beck depression inventory, Spielberger anxiety scale, and the modified Kupperman menopausal complication index. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 25) at 95% confidence level. Results: Out of 120 menopausal females, who participated in this study, 89.2% were married, and their mean age was 53.30±4.24 years. The majority of them (92.5%) were in their diploma level and below. According to the results of the Spearman correlation test, there was a significant relationship between depression score and severity of menopausal symptoms (r = 0.775, P P Conclusion: Considering the significant relationship between the severity of menopausal symptoms and the presence of anxiety and depression, the treatment of menopausal symptoms can prevent depression and anxiety in females during this sensitive period.

Keywords

• anxiety
• depression
• menopause