The relationship between psychosocial problems including depression and behavioural trends among middle-aged...

We investigated the association of psychosocial problems, menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, and trends of smoking and use of cosmetics in our previous study. In this follow-up study, we researched psychiatric disorders and psychosocial problems in menopausal women.

We designed a cohort study with 577 Japanese women aged 30-64 years. Subjects were selected randomly from among women who visited the department of gender-specific medicine at Tokyo Women's Medical University East Medical Center between June 2010 and September 2011. We analysed trends such as smoking, using cosmetics, and menopausal symptoms and their association with the first lifetime episode of severe depression and anxiety using structured clinical interviews for the DSM-IV (structured clinical interview for DSM-IV, outpatient version [SCID]), the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

Significant associations were observed between hot flushes, smoking and the frequency of using cosmetics. Furthermore, the trends in cosmetic use and smoking affected not only psychosocial problems, but also physical problems. Younger women suffered from psychosocial problems more than twice the rate of post-menopausal women. Those who reported their first severe depression episode were also affected by severe anxiety disorders and physical problems.

By self-checking the frequency of using cosmetics is up to date knowledge of psychosocial mood problems and improving women's quality of life.