Depression among Peri- and Post-Menopausal Women during COVID-19 Pandemic in Chandigarh, North India: A Study from Community.

BACKGROUND

Peri- and post-menopausal women are vulnerable to suffer from mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and stress, which might have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of depression and associated factors among peri- and post-menopausal women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chandigarh.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 urban peri- and post-menopausal women of age 40-60 years in Chandigarh, from May to June 2021. Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, and EuroQol-5D validated tools were used to screen depression, anxiety, and quality of life (QOL). Fear of COVID-19 scale was developed as part of this study was used to assess the fear related to COVID-19 infection. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26.0. Binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression was 39% and anxiety 29.5% among peri-and post-menopausal women. The fear of COVID-19 infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 8.43, confidence interval [CI]: 1.99-35.64; aOR 10.54, CI: 2.76-40.24) and sleeplessness (aOR 13.29, CI: 3.22-54.82) were the significant ( < 0.005) predictors of depression and anxiety, respectively. Fearful peri- and post-menopausal women (aOR 5.94, CI: 2.68-13.13) and widow status (aOR 7.08, CI: 1.10-45.28) were the significant ( < 0.005) predictors of poor QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of depression was high among peri- and post-menopausal women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fear of getting COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and poor QOL.