Abstract
BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis are at high risk of developing depressive symptoms, necessitating specialized psychological nursing interventions. AIM: To investigate factors influencing depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and develop targeted psychological nursing interventions. METHODS: A total of 180 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis admitted to the Department of Orthopedics at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between October 2021 and October 2024 were selected as research participants. Information on age, duration of menopause, body mass index, education level, marital status, activity intensity, bone density, presence of chronic diseases, calcium supplement intake, sex hormone levels, and depressive symptoms were collected. The 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale was used for assessment. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients had no depressive symptoms, and 132 patients had depressive symptoms. Comprehensive univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that low bone density in the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and femoral neck, presence of chronic diseases, and low 5-hydroxytryptamine levels were independent risk factors for depressive symptoms, whereas calcium supplement intake and moderate to high-intensity activity were independent protective factors. CONCLUSION: By implementing specialized psychological nursing interventions, and providing rehabilitation guidance, the incidence of depressive symptoms can be effectively reduced, improving the psychological health status and patient quality of life.