Exploring the relationship between menopausal symptoms, personality, and depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women

Abstract Background A quick look at the results of research studies in the existing literature indicates that depression in postmenopausal women can greatly affect their function and self-esteem. The aim of the present study was to explore the potential relationships between menopausal symptoms, sleep quality, hot flash, and depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women.Methods A cross-sectional study was designed with 150 healthy postmenopausal women (45–60 years of age) who had referred to the menopausal clinic in Babol. The participants completed the following instruments throughout the study: the Beck Depression Inventory for depressive symptoms, the Modified Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index for measuring menopausal symptoms, and the NEO-FFI for identifying the personality traits.Results After controlling all the covariates, high depressive symptoms were found to be associated with moderate/ sever menopausal symptoms, poor sleep quality, and the average and high level of neuroticism. The results also demonstrated that the risk of depressive symptoms was lower in menopausal women with high level extroversion, high level agreeableness, and the average and high level of conscientiousness.Conclusions The findings of the present study indicated that personality traits, menopausal symptoms, and poor sleep quality in particular can partially account for depression in Iranian menopausal women.