title: Positive well-being during the menopausal transition: a systematic review.
abstract: A large body of research has investigated psychological distress during the menopause transition, but less is known about the experience of positive well-being at this time. The aim of this review is to evaluate the evidence on the relationship between menopausal factors (stage and symptoms) and indices of positive well-being including mood, satisfaction with life and eudaimonic well-being. A systematic review of the literature was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Nineteen relevant publications were found. Two out of 18 studies found a statistically significant association between menopausal stage and well-being, and one found a significant negative association between vasomotor symptoms and well-being. Four found menopausal symptoms measured with aggregate scales such as the Greene Climacteric Scale were associated with significantly diminished well-being, with the effect driven by the inclusion of psychological symptoms (e.g. 'crying spells') within the aggregate scales. Results indicate that there may be a dissociation, whereby menopausal stage and core vasomotor symptoms of menopause are related to negative, but not positive well-being. Positive well-being may be largely unaffected by menopause, which may mean that it is available for use as a resilience factor that women can draw on to meet the challenges that midlife presents.
authors.affiliation: * Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne , Victoria , Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Judd
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING; HEDONIC WELL-BEING; MENOPAUSE; MIDLIFE; VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS; WELL-BEING