Depressive symptoms and their risk factors in midlife women in the Middle East: a systematic review

AbstractIntroduction: Women may experience different menopausal symptoms across different cultures around the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and contributing factors of depression in midlife women in the Middle East.Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google scholar were searched. The quality of articles was assessed by using the risk of bias tool.Results: Sixteen articles were used for this review. The prevalence for depressive symptoms in perimenopausal women is higher than in premenopausal women. The overall data also suggest that depressive symptoms may be more prevalent in postmenopausal women than in premenopausal women. Studies reported sociodemographic, physical, psychological, cultural and sexual risk factors for depressive symptoms in middle-aged women. Risk of bias for a majority of the studies conducted in the Middle Eastern region on depression in midlife was moderate.Conclusion: Consistent wi...