Use of medication by adolescents for the management of menstrual discomfort
M. A. Campbell and P. J. McGrath
Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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 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.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Menstrual Distress Management Questionnaire
(designed for our study to measure disability and medication use) and the
Symptom Severity Scale. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS:
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.
