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CLIMACTERIC SYNDROME, QUALITY OF LIFE, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION DISORDERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF RIO DE JANEIRO’S PRIMARY HEALTHCARE SETTING
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  • Fabiana Balbino,
  • Cláudia Moraes,
  • Cláudia Messias,
  • Christiano Machado
Fabiana Balbino
Estácio de Sá University
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Cláudia Moraes
Estácio de Sá University
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Cláudia Messias
Federal Fluminense University
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Christiano Machado
Estácio de Sá University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the intensity of climacteric symptoms and possible associations with sociodemographic variables, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in women between 40 and 65 years old who sought attendance in a primary health care setting in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: An observational cross-sectional study. Setting: a municipal health care facility (MHF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sample: 138 women (age = 51.4 ± 7.1 years old) seeking health services from June to August 2020. Methods: A cross-sectional approach was developed using self-reported questionnaires. Main outcome measures: Sociodemographic and economic aspects, the Blatt and Kupperman Menopausal Index (BKMI), the WHOQOL-BREF for quality of life, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Ninety-six percent of the women had moderate to accentuated climacteric symptoms. Women with severe menopausal symptoms tended to have higher HADS scores (p < 0.05). There was a significant association between BKMI scores and education levels (p = 0.04). All illiterate women had moderate or severe climacteric symptoms. Proportionately, women who have completed high school had less marked intensity than those with moderate schooling. Moreover, most women with severe or moderate climacteric intensity levels presented “highly likely” incidence of anxiety. Conclusions: This is the first report to highlight climacteric and menopausal effects on women’s health status during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is an aggravating factor for the emergence of emotional changes resulting from sanitation, social isolation, and socioeconomic uncertainties.