Women

14 pages, 364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Support and Gender as Moderators of the Association of Ethnic Minority Status Stress with Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Among Hispanic College Students

by Luiza Martins, Robert H. McPherson, Weihua Fan, Norma Olvera and Consuelo Arbona

Women 2025, 5(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/women5030024 - 1 Jul 2025

Viewed by 262

Abstract

Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health concerns among college students. In addition to the typical college stressors, Hispanic students may experience minority status stress associated with their membership in a socially stigmatized ethnic and cultural group. Ethnic minority status stress has been positively associated with psychological distress. Therefore, this study examined, among Hispanic college students, (a) gender differences in the associations of ethnic minority status stress and social support to depression and anxiety symptoms, (b) if social support buffered the association of minority stress with depression and anxiety symptoms, and (c) if the social support moderation effect differed by gender. The results indicated that the negative association of social support to depression symptoms was stronger for women than men and that social support buffered the association of ethnic minority status stress to depression symptoms only for women. The negative association of minority status stress to depression symptoms was statistically significant only for women who reported lower levels of social support. No gender or social support moderation effects were observed in relation to anxiety symptoms for women or men. The results highlight the importance of social support in ameliorating the potential impact of ethnic minority status stress on psychological distress among Hispanic college women. Full article

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16 pages, 4242 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

The Effects of Aromatherapy on Sleep Quality in Menopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

by Choltira Tangkeeratichai, Charnsiri Segsarnviriya, Kittibhum Kawinchotpaisan, Pansak Sugkraroek and Mart Maiprasert

Women 2025, 5(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/women5030023 - 1 Jul 2025

Viewed by 370

Abstract

Sleep disturbances frequently affect postmenopausal women, yet the evidence supporting the use of aromatherapy as a therapeutic intervention remains inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of aromatherapy in improving sleep quality in postmenopausal women by analyzing data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Three RCTs comprising a total of 301 participants were included. Eligible studies compared aromatherapy with control conditions and reported sleep-related outcomes. The pooled analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores between the aromatherapy and control groups (mean difference, −2.66; 95% CI −6.49 to 1.17; p = 0.17), with high heterogeneity (I² = 98%). However, subgroup analyses demonstrated significant improvements in sleep latency (mean difference, −0.98; 95% CI −1.75 to −0.21; p = 0.01) and daytime drowsiness (mean difference, −0.79; 95% CI −1.30 to −0.28; p = 0.002). These findings suggest that aromatherapy may provide targeted benefits for certain aspects of sleep, particularly sleep latency and daytime dysfunction. Further high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes, standardized aromatherapy protocols, and long-term follow-up are necessary to validate these outcomes and establish evidence-based clinical guidelines for the use of aromatherapy in managing sleep disturbances among postmenopausal women. Full article

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17 pages, 5961 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functional and Compositional Analysis of the Fecal and Vaginal Microbiota in Vestibulodynia: An Explorative Case–Control Study

by Elisa Viciani, Barbara Santacroce, Antonella Padella, Alena Velichevskaya, Andrea Marcante, Laura Di Rito, Matteo Soverini, Alessandra Graziottin, Filippo Murina and Andrea Castagnetti

Women 2025, 5(3), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/women5030022 - 20 Jun 2025

Viewed by 273

Abstract

Vestibulodynia is vulvodynia localized to the vulvar vestibule and is a chronic disease defined as vulvar pain of at least three months’ duration, without a defined cause, that severely affects women’s health and quality of life with limited treatment options. We collected stool and vaginal samples from 30 women affected by vestibulodynia and 27 healthy women. Bacterial gut and vaginal microbiomes were characterized by amplicon sequencing, and compositional and functional differences between the control and the patient groups were assessed. No differences in vaginal or fecal alpha and beta diversity were found, but vaginal microbiota of patients was found to be associated with Lactobacillus iners. Moreover, the relative abundance of L. iners negatively correlated with the relative abundance of L. crispatus, and positive correlations between commensals and pathobionts were found in the vestibulodynia vaginal microbiota but not in the healthy controls. The bacterial functions and contributors were defined in the study groups for the fecal and vaginal microbiota. Our results portrayed the vaginal microbiome of patients with vestibulodynia as potentially not as efficient at living in an anaerobic environment as the healthy microbiome is and too inclined to acidify this environment, exposing it to the risk of developing other ailments. Full article

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Women, Volume 5, Issue 3 (September 2025) – 3 articles

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