TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of extroversion or menopause status on depressive symptoms among climacteric women in Taiwan
T2 - Neuroticism as moderator or mediator?
AU - Lin, Mei Fang
AU - Ko, Huei Chen
AU - Wu, Jo Y.W.
AU - Chang, Fong Ming
PY - 2008/1
Y1 - 2008/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to test whether neuroticism moderated the effect of extroversion and mediated the impact of menopause status on depressive symptoms among women in Taiwan during their menopausal transition. DESIGN: A sample of 197 women, aged 40 to 60 years, were recruited from the community. We used Ko's Depression Inventory, the Five-Factor Inventory-Chinese version, the Menopausal Symptoms Scale, and the Chinese version of the Modified Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime to gather data. Moreover, each woman underwent a semistructured diagnostic interview in person to obtain her lifetime psychiatric history. RESULTS: The hierarchy regression analyses showed that the interaction between neuroticism and extroversion was statistically significant. Further analyses indicated that in the high neuroticism group, extroversion was negatively associated with depressive symptoms; however, in the low neuroticism group, extroversion was not correlated with depressive symptoms. Menopause status was correlated with depressive symptoms, but after adding neuroticism and extroversion, the main effect of menopause status became insignificant. Results of the Sobel test showed that depressive symptoms of women during the menopause transition largely represented neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that the lower levels of extroversion are associated with depression among all stages of menopausal women with high levels of neuroticism; moreover, all stages of menopausal women who have high levels of neuroticism are more vulnerable to depression. The results support that personality may play an important role in women's depression during the transition of menopausal status.
AB - OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to test whether neuroticism moderated the effect of extroversion and mediated the impact of menopause status on depressive symptoms among women in Taiwan during their menopausal transition. DESIGN: A sample of 197 women, aged 40 to 60 years, were recruited from the community. We used Ko's Depression Inventory, the Five-Factor Inventory-Chinese version, the Menopausal Symptoms Scale, and the Chinese version of the Modified Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime to gather data. Moreover, each woman underwent a semistructured diagnostic interview in person to obtain her lifetime psychiatric history. RESULTS: The hierarchy regression analyses showed that the interaction between neuroticism and extroversion was statistically significant. Further analyses indicated that in the high neuroticism group, extroversion was negatively associated with depressive symptoms; however, in the low neuroticism group, extroversion was not correlated with depressive symptoms. Menopause status was correlated with depressive symptoms, but after adding neuroticism and extroversion, the main effect of menopause status became insignificant. Results of the Sobel test showed that depressive symptoms of women during the menopause transition largely represented neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that the lower levels of extroversion are associated with depression among all stages of menopausal women with high levels of neuroticism; moreover, all stages of menopausal women who have high levels of neuroticism are more vulnerable to depression. The results support that personality may play an important role in women's depression during the transition of menopausal status.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38049089854&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=38049089854&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/gme.0b013e31804b419d
DO - 10.1097/gme.0b013e31804b419d
M3 - Article
C2 - 17545919
AN - SCOPUS:38049089854
SN - 1072-3714
VL - 15
SP - 138
EP - 143
JO - Menopause
JF - Menopause
IS - 1
ER -