Psychologic distress and natural menopause: a multiethnic community study.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the association between psychologic distress and natural menopause in a community sample of African American, White, Chinese, Hispanic, and Japanese women participating in a national women's health study.


METHODS
A cohort of 16,065 women aged 40 to 55 years provided information on menstrual regularity in the previous year, psychosocial factors, health, and somatic-psychologic symptoms. Psychologic distress was defined as feeling tense, depressed, and irritable in the previous 2 weeks.


RESULTS
Rates of psychologic distress were highest in early perimenopause (28.9%) and lowest in premenopause (20.9%) and postmenopause (22%). In comparison with premenopausal women, early perimenopausal women were at a greater risk of distress, with and without adjustment for vasomotor and sleep symptoms and covariates. Odds of distress were significantly higher for Whites than for the other racial/ethnic groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychologic distress is associated with irregular menses in midlife. It is important to determine whether distress is linked to alterations in hormone levels and to what extent a mood-hormone relationship may be influenced by socioeconomic and cultural factors.
Bromberger
J T
JT
Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. brombergerjt@msx.upmc.edu
Meyer
P M
PM
Kravitz
H M
HM
Sommer
B
B
Cordal
A
A
Powell
L
L
Ganz
P A
PA
Sutton-Tyrrell
K
K
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D044383:Black People; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008593:Menopause / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*