COPING STYLE AND CLIMACTERIC SYMPTOMS IN A CLINICAL-SAMPLE OF POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Hormonal changes as well or sociocultural and personal factors account for climacteric symptoms. The aim of this study is to investigate in a clinical population the correlation between the severity of hot flas hes and vaginal dryness and the 'coping-ineffectiveness of coping' con struct. Out 120 women consecutively referring to the University Menopa use Clinic, 85 subjects were evaluated for their climacteric complaint s including anxiety and depression and for their coping style assessed with the Italian version of the Utrechtse Coping Lijst. Daily hot fla shes and severe vaginal dryness were reported by almost half of the st udied population, regression analyses were performed in order to inves tigate how much of the variance in such symptoms was explained by the psychosocial variables and by the coping mechanisms. A more recent men opause, a lower educational level and an active coping predict a highe r severity of hot flashes; a longer time since last menstrual period a nd a coping of avoidance predict a higher severity of vaginal dryness. The present study suggests that the severity of hot flashes and vagin al dryness among a clinical sample of postmenopausal women is not only determined by biological and social variables, but personal resources also explain part of the variance of such climacteric complaints.