title: Life satisfaction, loneliness and related factors during female midlife.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies assessing life satisfaction and feelings of loneliness in mid-aged women are scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess loneliness, life satisfaction and related factors in mid-aged Spanish women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross sectional study in which 182 women aged 40 to 65 completed the menopause rating scale (MRS), the University of California at Los Angeles loneliness scale (UCLA-LS), the life satisfaction index A (LSI-A), and a general socio-demographic questionnaire containing personal/partner data. Internal consistency of each tool was also computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median [interquartile range] age of the sample was 51 [9.0] years. A 55.5% were postmenopausal, 47.3% had increased body mass index (BMI) values, 57.7% were abdominally obese, 1.6% had hypertension and 86.3% had a stable partner. In addition, 4.9% used hormone therapy and 19.2% psychotropic drugs. Multiple linear regression analysis found that higher UCLA-LS scores (more loneliness) correlated with MRS psychological scores, partner alcohol abuse, living in urban areas, lower LSI-A scores (less life satisfaction) and not having a stable partner. Lower LSI-A scores (worse life satisfaction) correlated with severe female economical problems, BMI values and UCLA-LS and MRS psychological scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loneliness and life satisfaction in this mid-aged female sample was influenced by personal and partner issues which seem to play a much more relevant role than biological aspects. More research is warranted in this regard.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Alonso
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trabalón-Pastor
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vara
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chedraui
authors.forename: Faustino R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D017698:Postmenopause; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs