Depressive Symptoms and Bio-psychosocial Problems among Postmenopausal Women of Udupi District, Karnataka, India

• Main Authors: Shwetha Nayak, V Binil, Soumya Christabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited 2019-01-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research
• Subjects: gram panchayaths; menopause; reproductive life
• Online Access: https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/12455/38164_CE[Ra1]_F(AC)_PF1(AJ_SHU)_PFA(AJ_SHU)_PN(SL).pdf

Introduction: Menopause is the transition period in women’s life. Though it is a normal phenomenon, it has challenging situations. Many women shift to menopause without facing psychiatric problems; however, there is evidence that 20% of them are experiencing depressive symptoms during this crucial period. Aim: To identify the depressive symptoms and bio-psychosocial problems of postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted in three Gram Panchayaths of Udupi district, Karnataka, India. Convenient sampling technique was used to select 290 postmenopausal women between 1-5-years of menopause. Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (IDS-SR) scale was used to assess the depressive symptoms and rating scale on bio-psychosocial problems of postmenopausal women was used to assess the bio-psychosocial problems. Descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (Fisher’s-exact test and one way ANOVA test) were used to analyse the data. Results: The results showed that 20.7% of women had a mild level of depressive symptoms. Commonly reported biopsychosocial problem were leg cramps (89.7%), joint and muscle pain (87.6%), backache (87.2%), hot flushes (85.2%), fatigue (79.3%), numbness in extremities (75.9%), night sweating (67.2%), sleep disturbance (66.5%), sexual problems (49.7%), forgetting (31%) and irritation (39.6%). It was also found that there was a significant association between depressive symptoms and age (p≤0.001), number of living children (p=0.003), duration after attaining menopause (p=0.012) and age at menopause (p≤0.001). Conclusion: Menopause is one of the most significant events in women’s life. Hence, nurses working in public sector need to identify problems related to postmenopausal women and provide adequate health services.