Depressive symptoms trajectories among Chinese menopause transition women and their subsequent impact on life satisfaction: A longitudinal study based on the CHARLS database

Abstract Objective There is a lack of longitudinal evidence on depression among menopausal women. The present study aims to examine the developmental trajectories of depression and their impact on life satisfaction among Chinese menopausal women. Methods Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, trajectories of depressive symptoms among 465 women were analyzed. Latent class growth modeling identified heterogeneous depressive trajectories. Analysis of variance was used to assess differences in life satisfaction across trajectories, and multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the effects of key demographic factors. Results Five distinct trajectory groups emerged: low‐increasing (8.5%), high‐decreasing (9.9%), high‐increasing (9.1%), moderate (27.8%), and low (44.8%). Life satisfaction declined among all trajectory groups during the menopausal transition, with the smallest decrease observed in the low trajectory group and the largest in the high‐increasing trajectory group. Compared with the low trajectory group, women with rural residency, chronic illness, lower education levels, lack of pension coverage, and lower household income were more likely to be classified into other high‐risk depressive trajectory groups. Conclusion Findings reveal heterogeneous depressive trajectory groups among menopausal women in China. Socioeconomically disadvantaged rural women face elevated risks of depressive symptom deterioration. These results highlight the need for improved mental health support and equitable resource allocation to address psychological well‐being among vulnerable menopausal populations.