Pirthiraj Ashalya, Bhagwan Raisuyah
Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Health Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
Department of Community Health Studies, Faculty of Health Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
Health SA. 2023 Sep 13;28:2249. doi: 10.4102/hsag.v28i0.2249. eCollection 2023.
Migraines are one of the leading causes of disability globally and in South Africa. There is a paucity of local empirical literature regarding the psychosocial impact of migraines on women. Although there are a variety of treatment approaches, many women prefer alternative and holistic treatment for their migraines.
The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial impact of migraines on women and their use of complementary and alternative therapies for migraine pain management.
The study was conducted in the eThekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The study adopted a qualitative descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants for the study. Data were collected through 12 semi-structured interviews and subsequently analysed using thematic analysis.
Theme 1 related to the psychological and cognitive effects experienced by the participants. Theme 2 focused on the effects migraines had on personal, family and social relationships. Theme 3 discussed the self-management of migraines.
The pertinent psychological effects of migraines were depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness and withdrawal, fear-avoidance behaviour, lifestyle changes, and acceptance of migraines. The participants experienced a lack of understanding about their migraine severity from co-workers, family and social networks. The alternative therapies that were sought to alleviate migraine symptoms included chiropractic, massage, meditation, reflexology, yoga, cupping and acupuncture.
The awareness of the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies for women may be beneficial for healthcare providers seeking a multidisciplinary approach to migraine management.
偏头痛是全球及南非导致残疾的主要原因之一。关于偏头痛对女性心理社会影响的本地实证文献匮乏。尽管有多种治疗方法，但许多女性更喜欢用替代疗法和整体疗法来治疗偏头痛。
本研究的目的是探讨偏头痛对女性的心理社会影响以及她们使用补充和替代疗法来管理偏头痛疼痛的情况。
该研究在南非夸祖鲁 - 纳塔尔省的伊泰夸尼地区进行。
本研究采用定性描述性设计。采用目的抽样法招募研究参与者。通过12次半结构化访谈收集数据，随后使用主题分析法进行分析。
主题1与参与者经历的心理和认知影响有关。主题2关注偏头痛对个人、家庭和社会关系的影响。主题3讨论了偏头痛的自我管理。
偏头痛相关的心理影响包括抑郁、焦虑、绝望和退缩感、恐惧回避行为、生活方式改变以及对偏头痛的接受。参与者发现同事、家人和社交网络对其偏头痛严重程度缺乏理解。为缓解偏头痛症状而寻求的替代疗法包括脊椎按摩疗法、按摩、冥想、反射疗法、瑜伽、拔罐和针灸。
了解补充和替代疗法对女性的有效性，可能有助于寻求偏头痛多学科管理方法的医疗服务提供者。
