title: The self-care strategies of girls with primary dysmenorrhea: a focus group study in Taiwan.
abstract: Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynaecological complaint and the leading cause of recurrent short-term school absenteeism among adolescent girls. To explore adolescent girls' self-care strategies for dysmenorrhea, we conducted four focus groups in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with 23 female adolescents with primary dysmenorrhea. Thematic content analysis was used to explore and organize the data. The self-care strategies for dysmenorrhea reported by participants included reducing physical activity, modifying diet using herbal remedies or medication, applying complementary therapies, paying attention to symptom clusters of discomforts, and expressing emotions. This is the first study to describe the self-care strategies adopted by adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea in Asia. Data were analyzed in cultural contexts. Knowledge of beneficial food-related or herbal health practices can enable professionals to counsel this population more effectively.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Chunghey@kmu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chung-Hey
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yin-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Margaret McLean
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Heitkemper
authors.forename: Kun-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D012651:Self Medication / Q000379:methods; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan