• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.82-93
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to explore attitude and belief about menopause and severity of menopausal symptoms according to menopausal status. This study conducted a cross-sectional assessment of the effects of depressive symptoms and the severity of trait anxiety on the severity of menopausal symptoms. Methods : Participants were all outpatients at the psychiatric outpatient clinic of Korea University Guro Hospital. All participants, aged 40 to 64, had depressive or anxiety disorders and were divided into the premenopause, perimenopause, premenopause, and postmenopause groups. Menopause Rating Scale(MRS) was used to measure the severity of menopausal symptoms. The attitude toward menopause was examined by a self-report questionnaire regarding menopause. Beck Depression Inventory(BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory(STAI) were used to assess depressive symptoms and anxiety. Results : The severity of menopausal symptoms was not different among the groups according to menopausal status. There was a significant correlation between a negative attitude toward menopause and the severity of menopausal symptoms. Patients with moderate to severe depressive symptoms and trait anxiety had more severe menopausal symptoms. Conclusion : Negative attitude toward menopause, depressive symptoms, and anxiety had a significantly negative impact on the severity of menopausal symptoms. The results of this study suggest that treatment to relieve depressive symptoms and anxiety and intervention to reduce negative attitude toward menopause are required. Further studies with larger sample size are needed to evaluate potentially effects of depressive symptoms and anxiety on severity of menopausal symptoms in middle-aged female psychiatric patients.