title: Predictors of mental health in post-menopausal women: results from the Australian healthy aging of women study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the extent to which socio-demographics, modifiable lifestyle, and physical health status influence the mental health of post-menopausal Australian women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data on health status, chronic disease and modifiable lifestyle factors were collected from a random cross-section of 340 women aged 60-70 years, residing in Queensland, Australia. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to measure the effect of a range of socio-demographic characteristics, modifiable lifestyle factors, and health markers (self-reported physical health, history of chronic illness) on the latent construct of mental health status. Mental health was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12(®)) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The model was a good fit for the data (χ(2)=4.582, df=3, p=0.205) suggesting that mental health is negatively correlated with sleep disturbance (β=-0.612, p<0.001), and a history of depression (β=-0.141, p=0.024).While mental health was associated with poor sleep, it was not correlated with most lifestyle factors (BMI, alcohol consumption, or cigarette smoking) or socio-demographics like age, income or employment category and they were removed from the final model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Research suggests that it is important to engage in a range of health promoting behaviors to preserve good health. We found that predictors of current mental health status included sleep disturbance, and past mental health problems, while socio-demographics and modifiable lifestyle had little impact. It may be however, that these factors influenced other variables associated with the mental health of post-menopausal women, and these relationships warrant further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: c.seib@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: Charrlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seib
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Humphreys
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001315:Australia; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology*; D011793:Queensland; D012307:Risk Factors; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Depressive symptoms; Mental health; Modifiable lifestyle factors; Sleep; Women