Dr Lucy Tully1, Associate Professor Tania Perich, Ms Tiana Kittos
1The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
Biography:
Dr Lucy Tully is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney. She is also Director of Flagship Trials for Growing Minds Australia, a clinical trial network in child and youth mental health, and a registered psychologist. Her main areas of research are in child mental health and parenting, but she also has a strong clinical and research interest in mental health in the transition to menopause.
The aim of this study is to explore the associations between previous diagnosis of mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions, and current wellbeing of Australian women aged 45-64 years during the transition to menopause. Previous research has found history of depression to be an important predictor of mental health in the transition to menopause, but there is a lack of research that has examined a broader range of previous diagnoses. Participants will complete an online survey about their mental health, quality of life, previous mental health diagnoses or neurodevelopmental conditions, symptoms of perimenopause or menopause, and services and supports received. The survey with 400 women will be conducted in May 2026. The results of this study may provide further insight into the mental health and quality of life in women in menopause transition. Additionally, the findings may provide important new information about the extent to which previous diagnoses of mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions are associated with current mental health symptoms. The results of the survey may have important clinical implications regarding the importance of assessing mental health history in women during the transition to menopause.