LAUSR

Background The impact of perceived life stress on subjective well-being has been well-established; while few studies have explored the mediating and moderating mechanisms of the association between perceived life stress and subjective well-being among perimenopausal women. This study is aimed at exploring the mediating effect of depressive symptoms and the role of interests/hobbies as a moderator in the association between perceived life stress and subjective well-being among perimenopausal women. Methods The participants were 1,104 perimenopausal women at the age of 40 to 60, who were asked to complete a paper-based questionnaire. A single item was used to measure self-perceived life stress and interests/hobbies. The Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Subjective Well-being Scale for Chinese Citizens (SWBS-CC) were applied to assess both depressive symptoms and subjective well-being. Multiple linear regression analysis and the PROCESS macro were adopted to analyse not only the mediating effect of depressive symptoms but also the moderating role of interests/hobbies. Results Perceived life stress was negatively associated with subjective well-being (B = − 1.424, β = − 0.101, P < 0.001). The impact of perceived life stress on subjective well-being was partially mediated by depressive symptoms (mediation effect = −0.760, 95% confidence intervals (CI) [−1.129, −0.415]). In addition, the interaction term between depressive symptoms and interests/hobbies was significantly related to subjective well-being (β = − 0.060, P < 0.05), indicating moderating effect. Moderated mediation had a significant index (Index = −0.220, SE = 0.099, 95% CI [−0.460, −0.060]). Conclusions Perceived life stress was negatively related to subjective well-being. The impact of perceived life stress on subjective well-being was mediated by depressive symptoms. Besides, interests/hobbies moderated the indirect effect of depressive symptoms on the relationship between perceived life stress and subjective well-being.