Reducing Negative & Depressive Symptoms During Menopause

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Evidence from cross-sectional and epidemiological studies suggests that physical activity (PA) may attenuate certain menopausal symptoms and enhance psychological well-being. The mechanisms of such effects are, however, unknown. The results of my master's thesis suggested that independent of menopausal status, women who reported exercising regularly experienced less severe psychological and general somatic symptoms and scored higher on measures of physical self-esteem and self-efficacy. In addition, physical self-esteem mediated the effects of physical activity and menopausal symptoms on satisfaction with life. In my doctoral dissertation, I intend to follow up on these results with a four-month randomized controlled exercise trial to examine the extent to which these outcomes may generalize to self-perceptions of quality of life (QOL). Specifically, the proposed study will evaluate the effects of aerobic exercise and yoga on QOL in a sample of symptomatic menopausal women. It is of interest to determine whether these effects occur directly or indirectly through the mediation of psychosocial constructs such as enhanced physical self-perceptions, self-efficacy, mood, or improved fitness and/or reduced symptoms.