Anxiety disorder in menopausal women and the intervention efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the current situation of anxiety disorder in menopausal women and to analyze the intervention effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Methods: A total of 489 patients diagnosed with menopausal syndrome from July 2021 to June 2022 were selected as the study object. There were 120 patients with menopausal syndrome complicated with anxiety who were screened out by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). The patients were divided into an experimental group (62 cases) and a control group (58 cases) according to the random number table method. The experimental group received MBSR intervention, and the control group received routine intervention. The present situation of menopausal women's anxiety disorder was analyzed. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionaire (FFMQ) score, GAD-7 score, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E2), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels of the two groups were compared.

Results: After a statistical analysis, it was found that the incidence of anxiety in patients with menopausal syndrome was 24.54% (120/489). The severity of menopausal syndrome was positively correlated with the degree of anxiety (r = 0.621, P<0.001). After the intervention, in comparison with the control group, the FFMQ score was higher and the GAD-7 score was lower in the experimental group. The levels of FSH were decreased, and the levels of E2 and 5-HT were increased in both groups, with more significant alterations in the observation group (all P<0.05).

Conclusions: The incidence of anxiety disorder in menopausal women was high and its severity was related to the severity of menopausal syndrome. MBSR intervention can alleviate anxiety symptoms and improve hormone levels in the patients.

Keywords: Menopausal; anxiety disorder; effect; mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Figure 1

The flow chart of this research design. There were 489 patients diagnosed with menopausal syndrome who were selected. A total of 120 patients with menopausal syndrome complicated with anxiety were screened out by Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). According to the menopausal syndrome and anxiety, patients voluntarily choose different intervention methods and were divided into an experimental group (62 cases, MBSR intervention) and a control group (58 cases, routine intervention). The present situation of menopausal women’s anxiety disorder was analyzed. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionaire (FFMQ) score, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) score, and hormone index levels of the two groups were compared.

Figure 2

Scores of each dimension of FFMQ scale in the two groups. Note: *indicates the comparison of data between the two groups, P<0.05. FFMQ = five factor measurement table.