Comparison of depression, anxiety, quality of life, vitality and mental health between premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to investigate and compare the rates of depression, anxiety, quality of life, vitality and mental health between premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
METHOD: The sample included 218 women selected randomly from the cultural center of Tehran in November and December 2013 and was divided into two groups. The first group included 110 postmenopausal women (45-55 years old). One year had passed since their last monthly period and they had not used any hormones. The second group included 108 premenopausal women (35-45 years old) who had not yet experienced menopause. In order to assess data, three tests were used: the Zung Anxiety Self-Report scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Quality of Life questionnaire (SF-36). The gathered data were analyzed with the T-test for independent groups.
RESULTS: The results indicated that all five hypotheses were confirmed. There were significant differences between the scores of anxiety, depression, quality of life, vitality and mental health between the two groups.
CONCLUSION: Since menopausal women spend almost one-third of their long life in this situation, it can be useful to recognize the causes of these disorders in women and their influences on their families. We can also increase their motivation and self-efficacy in order to improve their quality of life.