Perceived stress and mental health in perimenopausal women: a serial mediation study of psychological distress and social support
-
By
-
Tingting Ruan
-
Ying Yuan
-
Yiwei Li
-
Lijia Hou
-
Xuyan Liu
-
Shuling Ye
-
Jing Lu
-
Xue Tang
-
Yang Liu
-
May 20, 2026
-
Objective:
To examine how social support mediates the relationship between perceived stress and psychological symptom severity in perimenopausal women.
Key Findings:
- Perceived stress is positively correlated with psychological distress and symptom severity.
- Perceived social support is negatively correlated with perceived stress, psychological distress, and symptom severity.
- Perceived stress significantly increases psychological symptom severity scores after adjusting for confounding variables.
- Psychological distress and perceived social support independently mediate the relationship between perceived stress and symptom severity.
Interpretation:
Stress directly increases psychological symptom severity in perimenopausal women, with psychological distress and social support acting as mediators.
Limitations:
- Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
- Sample limited to Chinese women, affecting generalizability.
Conclusion:
Addressing psychological distress and enhancing social support are essential for improving mental health in perimenopausal women.
