Campbell M A, McGrath P J
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997 Sep;151(9):905-13. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1997.02170460043007.
To determine how adolescents use medication to manage menstrual discomfort.
Survey.
Public high school.
Convenience sample of 386 adolescent girls (80% return rate: 10 refusals and 8 exclusions). Two hundred and ninety-one cases were used for analyses (16.26+/-1.00 years [mean+/-SD]; range, 14-21 years), distributed equivalently across grades 10 through 12. Parent's socioeconomic status was predominately class III or lower on Hollingshead's Two-Factor Index of Social Status. Eighty-five percent of the subjects were English Canadian.
The Menstrual Distress Management Questionnaire (designed for our study to measure disability and medication use) and the Symptom Severity Scale.
Ninety-three percent reported menstrual discomfort during the last 3 menstruations and 70% of these had used over-the-counter (OTC) medications to manage the discomfort. Users of OTC medications reported greater symptom severity and disability than non-OTC users. Seventy-five percent of the OTC medication users took within the recommended dose of 1 to 2 pills, but 57% took medication less often than the maximum daily frequency. The size of a single dose of OTC medication was correlated with how often OTC medication was taken (r[s]=0.40, P<.001). Seventeen percent used prescription medication and reported significantly greater symptom severity and disability than nonprescription medication users. Seventy-one percent of the prescription drug users took the prescribed amount, 13% took less, and 16% took more.
Adolescent girls frequently suffer from menstrual discomfort and use OTC medications to manage the discomfort, but they may not be using OTC medications effectively. There are possible explanations for medicating behavior and future research directions should be considered.
确定青少年如何使用药物来缓解经期不适。
调查。
公立高中。
386名青春期女孩的便利样本（回复率80%：10人拒绝，8人排除）。291例用于分析（平均年龄16.26±1.00岁[均值±标准差]；范围14 - 21岁），在10至12年级中分布均匀。根据霍林斯黑德社会地位双因素指数，父母的社会经济地位主要为III级或更低。85%的受试者是加拿大英语区人。
经期不适管理问卷（为我们的研究设计，用于测量功能障碍和药物使用情况）和症状严重程度量表。
93%的人报告在过去3次月经期间有经期不适，其中70%使用非处方（OTC）药物来缓解不适。使用OTC药物的人比不使用OTC药物的人报告的症状严重程度和功能障碍更大。75%的OTC药物使用者服用的剂量在推荐的1至2片范围内，但57%的人服药频率低于最大每日频率。单次OTC药物剂量的大小与服用OTC药物的频率相关（斯皮尔曼相关系数r[s]=0.40，P<0.001）。17%的人使用处方药，报告的症状严重程度和功能障碍比非处方药使用者显著更大。71%的处方药使用者服用规定剂量，13%的人服用较少，16%的人服用较多。
青春期女孩经常遭受经期不适并使用OTC药物来缓解不适，但她们可能没有有效地使用OTC药物。对用药行为有一些可能的解释，应考虑未来的研究方向。
