Depression, anxiety, and fear of death in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the frequency of depression in postmenopausal women, examine some variables that are thought to be related, and evaluate the relationships between postmenopausal depression, anxiety, and fear of death. Methods: The study is a cross-sectional study conducted among postmenopausal women who applied to an Obstetrics and Gynecology Polyclinic in Sakarya, Turkey, between March and September 2018. The study group consisted of 485 postmenopausal women. For statistical analysis, the chi-square test, logistic regression analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used. Values of P ≤ 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant. Results: The ages of the participants ranged between 35 and 78 years, and the average was 56.33 ± 7.34 years. Being a widow or separated from one's partner (odds ratio [OR]: 3.478), alcohol consumption (OR: 11.772), any history of illness that required continuous medication (OR: 3.579), presence of any physical disability (OR: 2.242), history of any mental disorder with a physician's diagnosis (OR: 4.213), and number of living children 4 or more (OR: 4.174) were found to be important risk factors for postmenopausal depression. A moderate positive correlation was found between the depression scale and the scores obtained from the anxiety scale (r = 0.467; P = 0.001). No difference was found between participants with and without depression in terms of fear of death. Conclusion: Depression among postmenopausal women is an important health problem that needs to be studied further. No relation was found between depression and fear of death. These results will be beneficial for raising awareness about depression among postmenopausal women and conducting screening for early diagnosis.

Evaluation of depression, social support and quality of life in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in semi‐rural Turkey

“…17 In a study conducted on postmenopausal women in Turkey, the prevalence of depression was reported as 41%. 28 Although the incidence of depression in our study was lower than in China and higher than in the rest of the world, it was similar to the prevalence of depression in premenopausal and postmenopausal periods. The different results reported in various studies include the non-standardisation of the diagnostic methods used in the studies and the other socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the people who make up the study populations.…”

“…In a database‐based study in Australia, depressive symptoms ranged between 22% and 25% 17 . In a study conducted on postmenopausal women in Turkey, the prevalence of depression was reported as 41% 28 . Although the incidence of depression in our study was lower than in China and higher than in the rest of the world, it was similar to the prevalence of depression in premenopausal and postmenopausal periods.…”

“…Depression in perimenopausal and postmenopausal periods is significant as a significant public health problem, particularly for social and mental health. [26][27][28] Although there are various studies on the mental status of women in the pre-and postmenopausal period in Turkey, this study will make an essential contribution to illuminating the menopausal period since the depression, social support and QOL are evaluated together.…”

Thalamocortical bistable switch as a theoretical model of fibromyalgia pathogenesis inferred from a literature survey

“…GABA reduction has been observed in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women (Wang et al, 2016(Wang et al, , 2019, which correlates with higher FM prevalence in women and its connection with climacteric symptoms (Carranza-Lira & Hernandez, 2014). From this point of view, FM seems to be part of a series of neurological disorders showing perimenopausal prevalence and correlation with gonadal hormone alterations, such as migraine, central vestibular problems, anxiety, and depression (Loder et al, 2007;Mucci et al, 2018;Ozdemir et al, 2020). Various interrelationships between steroid hormones and the GABAergic function have emerged from different studies.…”

Depression in postmenopause: interdisciplinary approach in management and perspectives for rehabilitation

“…В недавнем кросс-секционном исследовании с участием 485 женщин 35-78 лет в постменопаузе факторами риска развития депрессии у женщин в постменопаузе были признаны смерть партнера или развод; употребление алкоголя; любое заболевание, требующее постоянного приема лекарственных препаратов; наличие каких-либо физических недостатков; психические расстройства в анамнезе, а также, что интересно, совместное проживание с 4 и более детьми [34].…”