Mental health in women with endometriosis: searching for predictors of psychological distress

AbstractSTUDY QUESTIONWhat factors affect the mental health of women with endometriosis?SUMMARY ANSWERNot only pelvic pain, but also individual characteristics (i.e. self-esteem, body esteem and emotional self-efficacy), time from diagnosis and intimate relationship status influence the psychological health of endometriosis patients.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYThe negative impact of endometriosis on mental health has been widely demonstrated by the research literature, along with the fact that presence and severity of pelvic pain are associated with anxiety and depression. However, endometriosis is a complex multidimensional disease and factors other than pelvic pain, including individual differences, may contribute to explain the variability in women's mental health.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis cross-sectional study was conducted between 2015 and 2017 at an Italian academic department of obstetrics and gynaecology.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSA total of 210 consecutive endometriosis patients (age: 36.7 ± 7.0 years) were included. Demographic and endometriosis-related information was collected. Individual differences were assessed using validated measures evaluating self-esteem, body esteem and emotional self-efficacy. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Ruminative Response Sc ale (RRS) were used to evaluate mental health.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEBased on the extant literature, we identified three categories of putative predictors (demo...
Source: Human Reproduction - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research