Effects of Psychological Well-Being and Depression on Menopausal Symptoms in Middle-Aged South Korean Women and the Necessity of Exercise

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data on the health by examining the effects of psychological well-being and depression on menopausal symptoms and the necessity of exercise in middle-aged women. This study is a cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire. The respondent's consent was obtained prior to data collection, and the investigation period runs from November 1, 2021 to November 30, 2021. The final analysis included 150 as respondents to the study. The tool developed by Yang was used for psychological well-being, the Korean integrated CES-D tool was used for depression, and the Menopause Symptom Index was used for menopausal symptoms. The differences and levels of psychological well-being, depression, and menopausal symptoms according to demographic and sociological characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA. The correlation between psychological well-being, depression, and menopausal symptoms was analyzed by Pearson's correlation, and the effect on menopausal symptoms was analyzed by multiple regression. Because of this study, significant results were found in marital status, religion, economic level, regular exercise, hobbies, personality, and subjective health in the difference in psychological well-being according to general characteristics. In depression, significant results were found in marital status, education level, monthly income, living status, regular exercise, hobbies, stress, personality, and subjective health status. Moreover, age, frequent exercise, hobby, and subjective health all had a significant impact on menopausal symptoms. According to the findings of the regression analysis, the factors influencing menopausal symptoms were, in that order, depression and psychological well-being. Among the factors that showed significant results for menopausal symptoms, exercise is recommended as a factor that can alleviate menopausal symptoms due to individual lifestyle changes, so it is expected to contribute to reducing menopausal symptoms and improving quality of life.