The relationship between depression and menopausal phase in working Filipino American midlife women

Abstract

This was a secondary analysis of data obtained in a descriptive, cross-sectional study of the perimenopausal transition of Filipino American midlife won1en. The purpose of the study was to explore the association between depression and menopause, specifically addressing the research question "What is the relationship between perimenopausal status (premenopausal, perimenopausal, menopausal/postmenopausal) and depression as measured by a score of 2:16 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in Filipino American midlife women age 35-56 years?". The total sample consisted of 159 self-identified Filipino American women who spoke, read, and understood English. Research data was obtained utilizing the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ), for demographic and health history data, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), for depressive symptomology data. Data was then analyzed and categorized by perimenopausal phase [premenopausal (n=80), permenopausal (n=33), and menopausal/postmenopausal (n-46)]. Conclusive results of the secondary analysis indicated that there was no relationship between menopausal phase and depression [X^2(2, n=159)=.35, p=.84] More research and education is required within the science of women's studies.