Objective: To estimate the prevalence of depression in postmenopausal women and to evaluate the relation between postmenopausal depression and some sociodemographic characteristics.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 744 postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years residing within Sivrihisar, Eskisehir, a town in western Turkey. The study was conducted between May 1 and June 30, 2009. Depression was measured with a Turkish version of the Beck Depression Inventory. Data were gathered during routine visits to the women's homes. Following the completion of the questionnaires and scales, the women's body mass indices were calculated by measuring their heights and weights. Statistical analysis used the χ(2) test and the Wald backward stepwise method. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The prevalence of depression was 24.7% (184/744). The average age of the women at menopause was 46 years. Significantly important risk factors for depression were primary-school education level (odds ratio (OR) 1.681), not being married (OR 1.653), having a history of psychiatric illness (OR 2.186), entering into menopause at the age of ≤39 years (OR 2.705), having irregular menstruation before menopause (OR 1.729), and having no children (OR 3.316).
Conclusion: Depression among postmenopausal women is an important public health problem that requires attention; furthermore, women are at risk in terms of depression after entering into menopause.