Determination of the motherly reactions to adolescents' experience of menarche

Puberty Period among Different Religions, Traditions, and Societies

Abstract: Puberty is an important stage of human life. Several physiological alterations accompanying the teenage years manifest themselves in often complex and curious means to which females show different reactions. Even though this stage of a female's life is normal, it is often associated with some degree of suffering and embarrassment, it is mainly due to a sense of hesitation. The main event of puberty is the onset of the menstrual cycle; menstruation is a normal physiological process that has been distorted and damaged with negative connotations. Many religions around the world have set expectations for females during their menstrual period. This paper discusses how females during puberty must behave and be seen in many religions. Additionally, it drives debates on how different societies treat and view females during the menstrual period. Adolescent girls must be educated on how to go about the topics surrounding puberty, and the normal physiological changes that happen during the period at school. Societies, families, and teenagers themselves are responsible for working together to create an environment in which accurate info on puberty and related subjects is readily available.

Knowledge and attitude about pubertal health and their socio-demographic predictors in Iranian adolescents

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a critical period and is associated with physical and psycho-social changes induced by puberty, which builds personality, behavior, and future health of the adolescents. This study aimed to determine the adolescent's knowledge and attitude toward pubertal health and his/her socio-demographic predictors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed on 1017 adolescent girls who were in the second and third grades of secondary schools in Tabriz, Iran, in 2013. The sampling method was random. The general linear model was used to determine the social-demographic predictors of the adolescent's knowledge and attitude about pubertal health.

RESULTS

The mean (standard deviation) score of knowledge and attitude was 53.2 (13.7) and 66.7 (11.5), respectively (from an attainable score range of 0-100). The variables of educational level, economic status, household members, obtaining information about the puberty, and age of menarche were predictors of knowledge. Educational level, the most feeling at menarche, and source of the most information about puberty were predictors of attitude (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study show that the knowledge and attitude of adolescents about pubertal health are moderate. Thus, it is necessary to educate the girls about pubertal health to enable them to have a healthy reproductive life in the future.

Age at menarche, reactions to menarche and attitudes towards menstruation among Mexican adolescent girls

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationships between menarcheal timing and both menarcheal experience and attitudes toward menstruation in Mexican girls.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTINGS

Sample of adolescents attending 10 different public schools.

PARTICIPANTS

Mexican postmenarcheal adolescents, aged 11-16 years.

INTERVENTION

Participants answered 1 questionnaire about menarcheal experience and another about attitudes towards menstruation.

RESULTS

Early maturers (menarche before 11 years) were more likely than average (menarche at 11 or 12 years) or late maturers (menarche at 13 or more years) to state they had not known what they should do at the moment they got their first period (P < .01), that they had not felt prepared to start menstruating (P < .05), and that they thought they must keep secret the fact of already having had their first period (P < .05). Concerning their emotional reactions to menarche, early maturers were the most likely to have felt scared (P < .05), worried (P < .05) and sad (P < .05) and were the least likely to have felt calm (P < .05). They were also the most likely to show current secretive attitudes towards menstruation (P < .01). Finally, late maturers showed more positive attitudes toward menstruation than their peers (P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

These results could be useful for developing resources to help early maturing girls manage menstruation. Since these girls have limited or in some cases no time for preparation, they need special support.

The experience of puberty in Iranian adolescent girls: a qualitative content analysis

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is an important stage in human life span. Physiologic changes associated with puberty manifest themselves in often complex and bizarre ways to which girls show different reactions. This study aims to explore to puberty experiences in adolescent girls who live in the city of Sari in Iran.

METHODS

The present study is a qualitative study of content analysis. Sampling took place in the city of Sari, Iran and was objective focused in accordance with qualitative studies. Participants were 38 girls of 12-20 years old who had at least experienced 3 menstrual cycles. Data was collected by means of focus group and in-depth interviews.

RESULTS

As follows, Seven main themes were extracted from the interviews are follows: Menarche as the most unpleasant event in puberty, getting nervous about and ashamed of bodily changes, psychological changes, discordance with parents, sexual orientation and the need for education on this issue, scholastic dysfunction and religious considerations.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that for the majority of the participants puberty was an unpleasant experience. Most of them were in need of education on how to go about the issues surrounding puberty. The society, families and of course the adolescents themselves are responsible to work together in order to create an atmosphere in which correct information on puberty and the associated issues are readily accessible.

Determination of the motherly reactions to adolescents' experience of menarche. II

OBJECTIVES

The study was conducted to identify mothers' reactions to adolescent girls' experience of menarche.

METHODS

This descriptive study was conducted in Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the University Hospital in Eastern Anatolia in Erzurum, Turkey, between April and May 2009. The study comprised mothers of adolescent girls who had experienced menarche during the last 12 months. Two hundred and four mothers formed the sample for this study. However, 10 were removed from the study because their daughter did not inform them about their menarche experience and the mothers could not answer some questions. The study was thus conducted with 194 mothers. The data were collected via a questionnaire prepared by the researchers and the data were evaluated using percentages. Approval for the research was obtained from the hospital and the ethics committee before commencement. The researchers provided the women with information about the survey.

RESULTS

The average age of mothers was 41.37 ± 6.5. A total of 44.3% of mothers had achieved primary school educational level and 78.9% of mothers have lived in a nuclear family. Mothers' reactions to their daughters' experience of menarche largely consisted of providing them with information about what to do (72.2% of them gave information about bathing, 59.3% of them gave information about genital hygiene). Mother' positive attitudes were very low (18% of them kissed their daughters, 11.3% of them congratulated their daughters). There were 12.4% of mothers who were sad about their daughters' experience of menarche.

CONCLUSIONS

It was determined in this study that the extent to which mothers showed reactions of happiness to their daughters' experience of menarche is rather low, but the rate of mothers telling their daughters what to do in this period was quite high.