Menopause symptom attribution among midlife women in methadone treatment.

This article describes menopause symptom attributions among 135 midlife methadone-maintained women between the ages of 40 and 55 years. A cross-sectional survey collected sample characteristics and a 14-item menopause symptom checklist. Following the checklist respondents were questioned regarding perceived symptom causality. For classic menopause symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, and menstrual irregularities) a majority of women attributed menopause. For remaining symptoms, various attributions were reported or etiologies were unknown. How midlife women interpret their symptoms is important to understand since such appraisals may guide the type of health and treatment behaviors they choose. Education to promote understanding of the actual causes, diagnosis, and treatment of symptoms may encourage midlife women to seek appropriate intervention. Social workers treating midlife women must be aware of and understand the normal variations associated with menopause and the multifactor symptom etiology.