Chen Chen X, Draucker Claire B, Carpenter Janet S
Indiana University School of Nursing, 600 Barnhill Drive, NU E415, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
BMC Womens Health. 2018 Mar 2;18(1):47. doi: 10.1186/s12905-018-0538-8.
Dysmenorrhea is highly prevalent and is the leading cause of absence from school and work among women of reproductive age. Evidence suggests that dysmenorrhea may also be a risk factor for other chronic pain conditions. Limited research has examined women's experience with dysmenorrhea using qualitative data. Research is warranted to address issues and needs that are important from women's own perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe women's salient thoughts about their experiences of dysmenorrhea.
We analyzed data collected from an open-ended question within a cross-sectional survey study conducted in the United States. Using qualitative thematic analysis, free text responses to a question asking women to share their experience with dysmenorrhea were analyzed.
The sample consisted of 225 women who provided valid responses to the open-ended question. Six themes were identified: (1) The dysmenorrhea symptom experience varied among women; (2) The dysmenorrhea symptom experience varied across time, (3) A variety of factors influenced the dysmenorrhea symptom experience, (4) Dysmenorrhea symptoms could have a negative impact on the women's daily lives, (5) Dysmenorrhea was not seen as a legitimate health issue by the women, health care providers, or society, and (6) Treatment for women with dysmenorrhea varied in acceptability and effectiveness.
The findings of this study have important implications for dysmenorrhea symptom assessment and the development of personalized interventions to support dysmenorrhea management.
痛经极为普遍，是育龄女性缺勤的主要原因。有证据表明，痛经也可能是其他慢性疼痛疾病的危险因素。有限的研究使用定性数据考察了女性的痛经经历。有必要开展研究以解决从女性自身角度来看很重要的问题和需求。因此，本研究的目的是描述女性对其痛经经历的突出想法。
我们分析了在美国进行的一项横断面调查研究中一个开放式问题收集的数据。采用定性主题分析方法，对一个要求女性分享痛经经历的问题的自由文本回复进行了分析。
样本包括225名对开放式问题给出有效回复的女性。确定了六个主题：（1）女性的痛经症状体验各不相同；（2）痛经症状体验随时间变化；（3）多种因素影响痛经症状体验；（4）痛经症状会对女性的日常生活产生负面影响；（5）女性、医疗服务提供者或社会都不认为痛经是一个合理的健康问题；（6）痛经女性的治疗在可接受性和有效性方面各不相同。
本研究结果对痛经症状评估以及制定支持痛经管理的个性化干预措施具有重要意义。
