Effects of socio-demographic, personality and medical factors on quality of life of postmenopausal women.

Sylwia Wieder-Huszla,Beata Karakiewicz,Anna Jurczak,Jerzy Samochowiec,Iwona Rotter,Agnieszka Samochowiec,Marzanna Stanisławska,Małgorzata Szkup,Elżbieta Grochans

doi:10.3390/ijerph110706692

Abstract

Numerous studies show that changes occurring in a woman’s organism during menopause may lower her quality of life. This study involved 630 healthy postmenopausal women from Poland. Its purpose was to assess their quality of life in relation to socio-demographic variables, medical data and personality profiles. The authors used the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) to assess quality of life, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory to measure personality traits, and the Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index to estimate severity of climacteric symptoms. The study demonstrated significant relationships between quality of life and variables such as: age, education, employment status, and the use of menopausal hormone therapy. An analysis of personality traits revealed correlations between the openness to experience scores and the quality of life within physical functioning, vitality, and mental health. Neuroticism, agreeableness and extroversion significantly correlated with all quality of life domains. Conclusions: (1) Age, education and employment status have significant effects on the selected quality of life domains after menopause. (2) Quality of life within the general health domain was assessed lower by MHT-users (Menopausal hormone theraphy (MHT)). (3) Health-related quality of life is also influenced by personality traits, which are relatively stable throughout life.

Highlights

Menopause is a biological event associated with a complete cessation of a woman’s reproductive ability as a consequence of the physiological ageing process
The quality of life after menopause may depend on many issues, including age
American studies show that an advanced age is a risk factor of a lower quality of life [35]

Summary

Introduction

Menopause is a biological event associated with a complete cessation of a woman’s reproductive ability as a consequence of the physiological ageing process. Despite many new opportunities, it involves menopause-related complaints and disorders. Numerous studies show that changes in an organism and related complaints may lower the quality of life after menopause [15], especially in the psychological, physical and sexual spheres [16,17]. A decline in the quality of live at this age may be associated with factors such as: vasomotor disorders [18], sleep problems [19], limitations in psycho-social functioning [20], chronic disorders such as arthritis and migraine [21], osteoporosis [22,23], hypertension, degenerative arthritis, idiopathic chronic back pain, varicose veins, hyperlipidemia, thyroid diseases, diabetes [24] and obesity [25]

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