Use of Medication by Adolescents for the Management of Menstrual Discomfort

摘要: Objective: To determine how adolescents use medication to manage menstrual discomfort. Design: Survey. Setting: Public high school. Participants: Convenience sample of 386 adolescent girls (80% return rate: 10 refusals and 8 exclusions). Two hundred ninety-one cases were used for analyses (16.26±1.00 years [mean±SD]; range, 14-21 years), distributed equivalently across grades through 12. Parent's socioeconomic status was predominately class III or lower on Hollingshead's Two-Factor Index Social Status. Eighty-five percent the subjects English Canadian. Main Outcome Measures: The Menstrual Distress Management Questionnaire (designed our study measure disability use) Symptom Severity Scale. Results: Ninety-three reported discomfort during last 3 menstruations 70% these had over-the-counter (OTC) medications Users OTC greater symptom severity than non-OTC users. Seventy-five users took within recommended dose 1 2 pills, but 57% less often maximum daily frequency. size a single correlated with taken ( r s =0.40, P Conclusions: Adolescent frequently suffer from discomfort, they may not be using effectively. There are possible explanations medicating behavior future research directions should considered. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:905-913