Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify what kinds of psychological symptoms Japanese women experience during menopause and to clarify what is its characteristic and to clarify the main cause and influences on psychological symptoms. Methods : 1,502 subjects (45〜65years) were randomly extracted from the women residing in Nagano and Osaka. They agreed to cooperate our study. They completed a self-assessment questionnaires which are structured demographic data, physical factor, psychosocial factor and menopausal symptoms. Result : 45 symptoms were factor analyzed using principal component analysis with varimax rotation, thirty-seven of 45 symptoms loaded on six factors together accounting for 42.9% of the variance. The first factor with the largest percent of variance accounted for (16.7%) was "Mood swing". The first factor was not statistically significant correlation with other factors. To examine the relationships between psychological symptom, physical factor, psychological factor and sociocultual factor, Multi-regression analysis was carried out. "Mood swing" was strongly influenced by stress and one's health condition. Conclusion: The stressful life context was most influential in accounting for psychological symptoms which menopausal women experienced. These results support the need for menopausal women to access mental health care.
