Emotional and health correlates of body dissatisfaction during the menopausal transition

Daniele Saraulli, Serena Matroberardino, Pietro Spataro

Accepted December 16, 2022

First published April 28, 2023

https://doi.org/10.26387/bpa.2022.00011

Abstract

The present study aimed at investigating the links between body dissatisfaction and other psychological
variables pertaining to emotional life and mental health, as a function of menopausal status. To this purpose, we administered the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), a self-report questionnaire specifically devoted to the examination of body image disorders, to a sample of pre-, peri-, or postmenopausal women aged between 45 and 55 years. In addition, mood states, feelings of anger and general health conditions were assessed with the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) and the Short Form General Health Survey (SF-36), respectively. The results showed that high levels of body dissatisfaction were associated with increases in mood disorders and anger
expression, as well as with decreases in mental health and the ability to control angry feelings. Moreover, the regression analyses indicated that these associations remained significant after controlling for age and menopausal status. Body dissatisfaction remained stable across the menopausal period; however, perimenopausal women reported higher scores of depression, fatigue, and anxiety in the POMS, were less able to control angry feelings in the STAXI and had significantly lower scores of physical and mental health in the SF-36, compared to either premenopausal or postmenopausal women. In summary, our results suggest that body dissatisfaction might constitute a significant risk factor for the mental health of midlife women experiencing the menopausal transition.

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Saraulli Daniele . Matroberardino Serena . Spataro Pietro . Emotional and health correlates of body dissatisfaction during the menopausal transition. BPA Applied Psychology Bulletin. 2023;296(1):53-64. doi:10.26387/bpa.296.1.

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Emotional and health correlates of body dissatisfaction during the menopausal transition

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