Abstract / Summary
Abstract Background Menopause is characterized by physical, psychological, and urogenital symptoms which can negatively impact the quality of life of women and their functioning in the workplace. However, there is scant literature on the menopausal experience, coping methods, workplace and sociocultural perceptions among women employees in Palestine. Objectives of this study were to investigate the menopausal symptoms, coping mechanisms and workplace and sociocultural perceptions of Palestinian women employees and to determine the relationship between menopausal symptoms and selected demographic, socioeconomic, occupational, and health factors. Methods The present study is a cross-sectional, quantitative study carried out on 393 employed women aged 45–60 years old living in the regions of Hebron, Ramallah, and Tulkarm in the West Bank. Women from various sectors, including educational, healthcare, governmental, private, and others were selected. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires evaluating demographics and health status, menopausal symptoms, coping strategies, workplace, and sociocultural perceptions. Data analysis involved use of descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results The mean age of participants is 51.25 ± 4.62 years old. The overall severity of menopausal symptoms was found to be moderate (mean = 2.94 ± 0.72). Joint or muscle pain is the most common symptom followed by fatigue, anxiety, and changes in mood. The severity of menopausal symptoms is significantly related to employment status (p = .007), years of experience (p = .028), economic situation (p = .039), and presence of chronic disease (p = .001). Moreover, coping strategies are significantly associated with employment status (p = .001), work location (p = .035), monthly income (p = .005), and income sufficiency (p = .007). Perceived support in the workplace was reported as low, as 49.4% of participants disagreed or strongly disagreed that their workplaces were supportive in managing menopausal symptoms and 50.8% of participants expressed disagreement or strong disagreement in relation to workplace accommodation for menopausal symptoms. Additionally, 34.6% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that menopause is stigmatized in the workplace. Employment status, coping strategies, and monthly income were significant predictors of menopausal symptoms. Cultural adaptation, monthly income, and menopausal symptoms are significant predictors of coping strategies. Conclusion Women workers in the West Bank suffer from a heavy burden of menopausal symptoms, lack of support at the workplace, and social-cultural stigmatization. It seems that socioeconomic and occupational determinants affect both the severity of symptoms and coping. Menopause-related education, psychosocial support, and flexible work conditions can be helpful for improving the situation of Palestinian menopausal women.