Other Titles

Global culturally diverse pediatric concerns

Abstract

Session presented on Sunday, July 27, 2014:

Purpose: To explore the experience and self-care behaviors among adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea in Hong Kong.

Methods: This study had two phases - a survey in phase I and semi-structured interviews in phase II. This abstract presents phase II of the study. Based on the phase I results, purposive sampling was employed to recruit 24 adolescent girls with very high and very low levels of self-care behaviors using the Adolescent Dysmenorrhic Self-Care Scale. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the help of an interview guideline to understand adolescent girls' experience of dysmenorrhea and their self-care behaviors towards dysmenorrhea. All interviews were tape-recorded. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Four categories were emerged: perceptions of dysmenorrhea, impact of dysmenorrhea, managing dysmenorrhea, and educational needs. The findings revealed that adolescent girls perceived dysmenorrhea as pain but normal. They experienced inability to concentrate on studies and change of family relationship during the painful days. Girls preferred to manage dysmenorrhea by lifestyle changes, seeking advice and endurance. Besides, girls also expressed their educational needs for dysmenorrhea self-care.

Conclusion: Understanding self-care behaviors towards dysmenorrhea from adolescent girls' perspectives was important, as it could assist nurses in the development of culturally sensitive intervention to promote self-care behaviors of adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea.

Author Details

Cho Lee Wong, RN, MSc (HlthCr); Lai Wah Lam, RN, BN, MPhil, PhD; Wan Yim Ip, RN, RM, BN, MPhil, PhD

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Self-Care Behaviors, Adolescent Girls, Dysmenorrhea

Conference Name

25th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Hong Kong

Conference Year

2014

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The experience of dysmenorrhea and its related self-care behaviors among adolescent girls

Hong Kong

Session presented on Sunday, July 27, 2014:

Purpose: To explore the experience and self-care behaviors among adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea in Hong Kong.

Methods: This study had two phases - a survey in phase I and semi-structured interviews in phase II. This abstract presents phase II of the study. Based on the phase I results, purposive sampling was employed to recruit 24 adolescent girls with very high and very low levels of self-care behaviors using the Adolescent Dysmenorrhic Self-Care Scale. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the help of an interview guideline to understand adolescent girls' experience of dysmenorrhea and their self-care behaviors towards dysmenorrhea. All interviews were tape-recorded. Interview data were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Four categories were emerged: perceptions of dysmenorrhea, impact of dysmenorrhea, managing dysmenorrhea, and educational needs. The findings revealed that adolescent girls perceived dysmenorrhea as pain but normal. They experienced inability to concentrate on studies and change of family relationship during the painful days. Girls preferred to manage dysmenorrhea by lifestyle changes, seeking advice and endurance. Besides, girls also expressed their educational needs for dysmenorrhea self-care.

Conclusion: Understanding self-care behaviors towards dysmenorrhea from adolescent girls' perspectives was important, as it could assist nurses in the development of culturally sensitive intervention to promote self-care behaviors of adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea.