The impact of cultural understanding-based approach to teaching Chinese characters on primary school students' performance, motivation, cognitive load, and culture understanding.

Menopause is a universal life transition, yet its psychological and emotional dimensions remain too often under-recognised in clinical practice, research, education and public discourse. For many women, menopause is not experienced simply as a collection of physical symptoms, but as a complex period in which bodily change, mood, sleep, cognition, confidence, identity, relationships and wider life pressures may all intersect. When I was invited by the journal Editorial Board to lead this Research Topic, my motivation came from more than the expanding scientific literature. It was also rooted in my own clinical experience. In practice, I have repeatedly seen women present with menopausal symptoms where the physical, emotional and psychological dimensions were deeply connected. These encounters reinforced for me that menopause is not only a biological transition, but also a period in which mental health, identity, wellbeing and quality of life can be profoundly affected. Anxiety, low mood, sleep disturbance, pain, loss of confidence and emotional vulnerability were often not separate concerns, but part of the same lived experience. These encounters made clear to me that menopause and mental health should not be viewed in isolation. This was the reason I wanted to shine a light on this association through a dedicated Research Topic. This collection, co-edited with Lisa Taylor-Swanson, brings together six thoughtful contributions: four fully published articles and two recently accepted articles. Together, they provide a rich and timely exploration of mental health concerns during menopause from clinical, psychological, social, educational and policy perspectives. Importantly, the collection has now met the required threshold for an Editorial, allowing us to reflect on the emerging messages across the Topic as a whole.