Exploring heterogeneity in the associations between menopausal status and depression: a cross-sectional study with a unique analytical approach.

IF 2.8 3区医学 Q1 OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society Pub Date : 2025-03-04 DOI:10.1097/GME.0000000000002519

Rakibul M Islam, Juwel Rana, Susan R Davis

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: The extent to which menopause status contributes to depressive symptoms remains controversial. This study aimed to examine associations between menopausal status and depressive symptoms and the heterogeneity in these associations.

Methods: We conducted three consecutive national surveys of community-dwelling Australian women aged 18-79 years between October 2013 and July 2017. Depressive symptoms were measured by Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) score (range 0-63). Symptoms were classified into a binary outcome of minimal to mild (BDI-II score <20) and moderate to severe (MS) (BDI-II score ≥20). The average effect (average treatment effect [ATE]) and conditional average effect of the menopausal status on depressive symptoms were investigated by causal forest method.

Results: The prevalence of MS depressive symptoms in 10,351 participants was 23.7% (95% CI: 22.9-24.5). Compared with premenopause, the BDI-II score was higher for the menopause transition (ATE = 2.43 units, 95% CI: 1.20-3.65) and postmenopause (ATE = 3.03 units, 95% CI: 1.25-4.81). Compared with premenopause, the menopause transition was associated with an average increase in the prevalence of MS depressive symptoms by 6 percentage points (ATE = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01-0.12). There were no differences in depressive symptoms between the menopause transition and postmenopause.In menopause transition, the BDI-II score was -1.22 units lower and the prevalence of MS depressive symptoms was 5 percentage points lower among employed women compared with unemployed women. In postmenopause, the BDI-II score was 1.75 units higher for unpartnered women compared with partnered women.

Conclusions: The menopause transition and postmenopause are associated with a higher BDI-II score and an increased prevalence of MS depressive symptoms compared with premenopause. These associations are favorably modified by paid employment in the menopause transition and unfavorably by being unpartnered postmenopause.

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来源期刊

Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society 医学-妇产科学

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

7.40%

发文量

330

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Menopause, published monthly, provides a forum for new research, applied basic science, and clinical guidelines on all aspects of menopause. The scope and usefulness of the journal extend beyond gynecology, encompassing many varied biomedical areas, including internal medicine, family practice, medical subspecialties such as cardiology and geriatrics, epidemiology, pathology, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and pharmacology. This forum is essential to help integrate these areas, highlight needs for future research, and enhance health care.