TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
T2 - the importance of social support in midlife women
AU - Wenzel, Elizabeth S.
AU - Van Doorn, Jacob L.
AU - Schroeder, Rachel A.
AU - Ances, Beau
AU - Bookheimer, Susan
AU - Terpstra, Melissa
AU - Woods, Roger P.
AU - Maki, Pauline M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 International Menopause Society.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Objective: This study aimed to examine sex differences in factors associated with mood and anxiety in midlife men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: During a remote visit, 312 adults aged 40–60 years (167 female; 23.6% perimenopausal) from the Human Connectome Project in Aging completed PROMIS measures of depression, anxiety and anger/irritability; perceived stress; and questions about social support, financial stress and menopause stage. Multivariate linear regression models assessed sex differences in mental health and the association of social support, financial stress and menopause stage with mental health. Results: Anxiety was higher in women than in men (b = 2.39, p = 0.02). For women only, decreased social support was associated with increased anxiety (b = −2.26, p = 0.002), anger/irritability (b = −1.89, p = 0.02) and stress (b = −1.67, p = 0.002). For women only, not having close family was associated with increased depressive symptoms (b = −6.60, p = 0.01) and stress (b = −7.03, p < 0.001). For both sexes, having children was associated with lower depressive symptoms (b = −3.08, p = 0.002), anxiety (b = −1.93, p = 0.07), anger/irritability (b = −2.73, p = 0.02) and stress (b = −1.44, p = 0.07). Menopause stage was unrelated to mental health. Conclusion: Social support, but not financial stress, influenced mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic at midlife, particularly for women.
AB - Objective: This study aimed to examine sex differences in factors associated with mood and anxiety in midlife men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: During a remote visit, 312 adults aged 40–60 years (167 female; 23.6% perimenopausal) from the Human Connectome Project in Aging completed PROMIS measures of depression, anxiety and anger/irritability; perceived stress; and questions about social support, financial stress and menopause stage. Multivariate linear regression models assessed sex differences in mental health and the association of social support, financial stress and menopause stage with mental health. Results: Anxiety was higher in women than in men (b = 2.39, p = 0.02). For women only, decreased social support was associated with increased anxiety (b = −2.26, p = 0.002), anger/irritability (b = −1.89, p = 0.02) and stress (b = −1.67, p = 0.002). For women only, not having close family was associated with increased depressive symptoms (b = −6.60, p = 0.01) and stress (b = −7.03, p < 0.001). For both sexes, having children was associated with lower depressive symptoms (b = −3.08, p = 0.002), anxiety (b = −1.93, p = 0.07), anger/irritability (b = −2.73, p = 0.02) and stress (b = −1.44, p = 0.07). Menopause stage was unrelated to mental health. Conclusion: Social support, but not financial stress, influenced mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic at midlife, particularly for women.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Midlife
KW - menopause
KW - mental health
KW - social support
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192214475&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13697137.2024.2340476
DO - 10.1080/13697137.2024.2340476
M3 - Article
C2 - 38695574
AN - SCOPUS:85192214475
SN - 1369-7137
VL - 27
SP - 373
EP - 381
JO - Climacteric
JF - Climacteric
IS - 4
ER -