How to Flourish during the Menopausal Transition: A Scoping Review on Emotional, Social and Psychological Wellbeing

Abstract Each year, at least 25 million women worldwide experience menopause, yet the potential for flourishing during this period remains underexplored. Flourishing, understood here as optimal emotional, social and psychological wellbeing, was used as the conceptual framework for synthesizing findings. This scoping review analyzed 181 longitudinal, experimental, cross-sectional and qualitative studies from four electronic databases. Only 39 studies primarily addressed emotional, social or psychological wellbeing, with eight encompassing comprehensive measures of flourishing. Results consistently showed a negative association between menopausal symptoms and emotional or psychological wellbeing. However, the qualitative findings suggest that some women may experience growth and elements of flourishing during the menopausal transition. Therefore, more in-depth exploration of positive experiences throughout this challenging yet transformative period is needed, and examining the potential of positive psychology interventions to promote flourishing appears timely and promising.