Interactions of depression, anxiety, and sleep quality with menopausal symptoms on job satisfaction among middle-aged health workers in England: a STROBE-based analysis

Background This study examined the association between menopausal symptoms and job satisfaction, and ascertained whether three psychosomatic factors (e.g., anxiety, depression, and sleep quality) interact with menopausal symptoms on job satisfaction. Methods A cross-sectional design with sensitivity analysis was adopted. The participants of the study were clinical health workers in England. Data from 154 health workers were analyzed with the hierarchical linear regression (HLR) analysis. Results There was a negative association between menopausal symptoms and job satisfaction (beta = -0.38; t = -4.81, p < 0.001), but this relationship became non-significant after adjusting for work stress, self-reported health, job tenure, and resilience at work. An interaction between menopausal symptoms and the psychosomatic factors was found. The strength of the negative association between menopausal symptoms and job satisfaction was weakened by sleep quality (beta = 0.05; t = 0.48; p > 0.05) but was strengthened by anxiety (beta = -0.22; t = -2.28; p < 0.05) and depression (beta = -0.24; t = -2.16; p < 0.05). Conclusion Menopausal symptoms can be directly associated with lower job satisfaction and indirectly associated with lower job satisfaction through its interaction with depression and anxiety. Menopausal symptoms can weaken the positive association between sleep quality and job satisfaction.