The Relationship between Depression and Perceived Stress with Spiritual Health in Postmenopausal Women in Isfahan

In menopause, several factors are associated with depression and stress. Spirituality is a beneficial strategy to promote mental health during this period. However, conflicting results have been proposed in this regard. The present study aimed to investigate the correlations between depression and perceived stress with spiritual health in postmenopausal women in Isfahan, Iran.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 340 postmenopausal women referring to the selected health centers in Isfahan in 2019. Data were collected using Pulitzer and Ellison spiritual health questionnaire, Beck depression inventory, and Cohen's perceived stress questionnaire. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 21 using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation-coefficient, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test.

In total, 332 women were enrolled in the study, and the mean score of spiritual health was 80.56±20.63. A significant, inverse correlation was observed between depression and spiritual health (r=-0.647; P<0.001). In addition, a significant, inverse correlation was denoted between perceived stress and spiritual health (r=-0.619; P<0.001).

According to the results, the postmenopausal women with higher scores of spiritual health had lower levels of depression and stress. Therefore, proper strategies should be adopted to improve the spiritual health of postmenopausal women, which could in turn effectively decrease the prevalence of depression and stress in this population.