Psychosomatics 42:252-257, June 2001
© 2001 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine
Psychological Distress Around Menopause
Daniel Becker, M.D.,
Jacob Lomranz, Ph.D.,
Amos Pines, M.D.,
Dov Shmotkin, Ph.D.,
Eyal Nitza, M.A.,
Galit BennAmitay, M.D., and
Roberto Mester, M.D.
Received July 19, 2000; revised December 22, 2000; accepted January 4, 2001. From Ness Ziona Mental Health Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University; the Herczeg Institute on Aging, Tel Aviv University; Department of Medicine "T", Ichilov Hospital, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel. Address reprint requests to Dr. Becker, Ness Ziona Mental Health Center, P.O. Box 1, Ness Ziona, Israel 70450.
The authors sought to identify a subgroup of women who are likely to experience psychological distress in the period around menopause. A sample of 189 women (mean age=49.49) was selected from the general population and rated for menopausal status, menopausal symptoms, depression, anxiety, perceived control, body image, and sex role. Menopausal symptoms were not found to discriminate between pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal women. Factor analysis of the symptoms yielded a specific somatic factor that correlated with menopausal status but not with psychological variables and a nonspecific psychosomatic factor that correlated with psychological variables but not with menopausal status. This suggests that psychological distress during the menopausal transition may indicate a personal psychological or physiological vulnerability rather than a specific reaction to the menopausal events.
Key Words: Menopause • Perimenopause
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