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Psychological Climacteric Symptoms and Attitudes toward Menopause among Emirati Women

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  • Amira Mohammed Ali

    (Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-0031, Japan
    Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21527, Egypt)

  • Afaf Hassan Ahmed

    (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21527, Egypt)

  • Linda Smail

    (Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Zayed University, Dubai 19282, UAE)

Abstract

Menopause is an inevitable developmental event that women encounter at an age of 42–54 years. The drop of estrogen levels that accompanies cessation of menstruation is associated with multiple vasomotor, physical, neuropsychological, and sexual symptoms, which may hamper quality of life. This study aimed to examine the severity of psychological symptoms and their correlates among peri- and postmenopausal Emirati women (N = 60, mean age = 54.88 ± 6 years). Participants were interviewed using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) and attitudes toward menopause scale (ATMS). In four path analysis models, vasomotor symptoms, weight gain, and fatigue had significant direct effects on symptoms of anxiety, depression (only weight gain and fatigue), and psychological distress. Fatigue significantly mediated the effects of vasomotor symptoms and weight gain on symptoms of anxiety, depression (only vasomotor symptoms), psychological distress, and memory problems. These models explained 47.6%, 44.5%, 56.6%, and 29.1% of the variances in anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and memory problems, respectively. Participants with more severe menopausal symptoms expressed more negative attitudes toward menopause though regression analysis revealed that only vasomotor symptoms could significantly contribute to ATMS scores. In conclusion, psychological distress is widespread among menopausal women, and it is associated with vasomotor symptoms, fatigue, and change of body composition (obesity). Psychological symptoms, along with vasomotor symptoms, express a key link to negative attitudes toward menopause. Therefore, interventional strategies that target psychological distress may promote coping with midlife transition and improve mental health among menopausal women.

Suggested Citation

  • Amira Mohammed Ali & Afaf Hassan Ahmed & Linda Smail, 2020. "Psychological Climacteric Symptoms and Attitudes toward Menopause among Emirati Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:14:p:5028-:d:383888
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amira Mohammed Ali & Amin Omar Hendawy, 2018. "So, Antidepressant Drugs have Serious Adverse Effects, but what are the Alternatives?," Novel Approaches in Drug Designing & Development, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 4(3), pages 58-69, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Amira Mohammed Ali & Abdulmajeed A. Alkhamees & Hiroaki Hori & Yoshiharu Kim & Hiroshi Kunugi, 2021. "The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21: Development and Validation of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Item in Psychiatric Patients and the General Public for Easier Mental Health Measurement in ," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-20, September.
    2. Amira Mohammed Ali & Hiroshi Kunugi, 2021. "Approaches to Nutritional Screening in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Claudio Costantino & Alessandra Casuccio & Vincenzo Restivo, 2020. "Potential Risks and Factors of Women’s Health Promotion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-7, December.
    4. Amira Mohammed Ali & Hiroshi Kunugi, 2020. "Intermittent Fasting, Dietary Modifications, and Exercise for the Control of Gestational Diabetes and Maternal Mood Dysregulation: A Review and a Case Report," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-23, December.
    5. Amira Mohammed Ali & Amin Omar Hendawy & Abdulaziz Mofdy Almarwani & Naif Alzahrani & Nashwa Ibrahim & Abdulmajeed A. Alkhamees & Hiroshi Kunugi, 2021. "The Six-Item Version of the Internet Addiction Test: Its Development, Psychometric Properties, and Measurement Invariance among Women with Eating Disorders and Healthy School and University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-26, November.

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