Reducing Negative & Depressive Symptoms During Menopause

描述（由申请人提供）：来自横断面和流行病学研究的证据表明，体力活动（PA）可能会减轻某些更年期症状并增强心理健康。然而，这种影响的机制尚不清楚。我的硕士论文的结果表明，独立的绝经状态，定期锻炼的妇女经历了不太严重的心理和一般躯体症状，并在身体自尊和自我效能的措施得分较高。此外，身体自尊介导的身体活动和更年期症状对生活满意度的影响。在我的博士论文中，我打算通过一项为期四个月的随机对照运动试验来跟进这些结果，以检查这些结果在多大程度上可以推广到生活质量（QOL）的自我感知。具体来说，拟议的研究将评估有氧运动和瑜伽对有症状的绝经期妇女的生活质量的影响。这是有趣的，以确定这些影响是否发生直接或间接通过调解的心理社会结构，如增强身体自我感知，自我效能，情绪，或改善健身和/或减少症状。

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.