QUALITY OF LIFE IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN: THE IMPACT OF DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIETY DISORDERS

Objective: Psychiatric symptoms are frequently present in postmenopausal women. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of depressive and anxiety disorders on the quality of life (QoL) of postmenopausal women. Method: The study sample consisted of 342 postmenopausal women who presented to the Gynecology Outpatient Clinic. The Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition was used to determine depressive and anxiety disorders. The participants' QoL level was assessed by means of the World Health Organization QoL Assessment-Brief (WHOQOL-BREF). Results: Subjects without a diagnosis of depressive or anxiety disorder had significantly higher points in all domains of WHOQOL-BREF. According to linear regression analysis, all evaluated disorders except social phobia and specific phobia were independently associated with lower scores for at least one dimension of the QoL scale. However, major depression, dysthymic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder predicted all domains of WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusion: Depressive and anxiety disorders, particularly major depression, dysthymic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, seem to be considerable factors affecting the QoL in postmenopausal women. (Int'l. J. Psychiatry in Medicine 2011;41:281-292)