This competing renewal application is a revision of what was previously a Collaborative R0l three site prospective study of middle-aged women's mental health that is an ancillary study of the Study of Women' Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Due to difficulty with retention and feasibility issues at the other 2 sites they will be unable to continue the study. We are proposing to continue the study in Pittsburgh only. Our current sample consists of 412 African American and Caucasian women, aged 42-52 at the start of the study in 1996, who are beginning or will soon begin the menopausal transition. Women are interviewed annually with the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders.
Our specific aims are: 1) to assess whether women will be more likely to develop a new (recurrent) syndromal or subsyndromal depression during the perimenopausal transition than before or after, 2) to determine if a history of major depression (MOD) is risk factor for the following during the transition: (a) syndromal or subsyndromal depression, (b) increased levels of perceived stress, somatic and psychological symptoms, or (c) decreased quality of life or functioning and 3) to compare rates of new (recurrent) syndromal or subsyndromal depression across the transition for African American and Caucasian women. The longitudinal nature of the SWAN biological and psychosocial data (e.g., medical morbidity, stressful events, lifestyle behaviors) will allow us to evaluate these as antecedents, correlates, and consequences of depression during the course of the study. By continuing to collect systematically psychiatric data in our cohort in conjunction with the continued collection of Core SWAN data, we have a unique opportunity to expand knowledge of women's mental health in midlife and beyond.
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