ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2026
Perceived stress and mental health in perimenopausal women: a serial mediation study of psychological distress and social support.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: The perimenopausal phase is associated with a significantly higher prevalence of mental health disorders in women, with stress perception emerging as a pivotal risk factor. However, the psychological and social mechanisms through which stress perception influences women's mental health during this period remain to be fully elucidated. This study aims to use a stress process model to examine how social support mediates the link between stress perception and psychological symptom severity during perimenopause. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used, and 549 Chinese perimenopausal women were surveyed through face-to-face questionnaires. The survey employed the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Psychological symptom severity (BSRS-5) to evaluate participants' psychological symptom severity. The researchers used SPSS 26.0 for related analyses, PROCESS macro software for regression analyses, and applied the Bootstrap method to assess mediating effects. Results: The findings of the study indicate that perceived stress, psychological distress, and psychological symptom severity (BSRS-5) are significantly and positively correlated, and perceived social support is significantly and negatively correlated with these variables ( Conclusion: Stress can directly increase psychological symptom severity in perimenopausal women and indirect effects can be observed through mediating factors such as psychological distress, perceived social support, and the chain-mediated relationship between these two elements. Thus, reducing symptom severity is essential for improving mental health. The study indicates that enhancing the mental health of this group requires a multifaceted approach. This approach should focus on the alleviation of psychological distress and the promotion of social support systems. This will effectively disrupt the cycle of stress and psychological distress.
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