Explaining women's intentions and use of hormones with menopause

The purposes of this theoretically‐based study were (a) to examine the contributions of psychosocial variables (i.e., affect, beliefs, and norms), habit, and facilitating conditions to explaining women's intentions and use of hormones with menopause and (b) to assess whether clinical or demographic factors explained intentions and use, when controlling for psychosocial, habit, and facilitating conditions variables. In a cross‐sectional design, 184 pre‐, peri‐, and postmenopausal women completed questionnaire measures. To explain intentions, data from 124 participants who were not using hormones were analyzed. To explain use, data from 125 peri‐ and postmenopausal participants were analyzed. In multivariate analyses, anxiety was associated inversely with use; norms were associated positively with intentions and use. Age was associated inversely with intentions; hot flashes were associated inversely with use. Future researchers can examine the combined influences of affect, beliefs, and norms on decisions about hormones. Clinicians can address anxieties and assess social influences about hormone use, as well as offer ways to deal with hot flashes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Res Nurs Health 22:309–320, 1999