‘Making of a Strong Woman’: a constructivist grounded theory of the experiences of young women around menarche in Papua New Guinea

Maulingin-Gumbaketi, Elizabeth; Larkins, Sarah; Gunnarsson, Ronny; Rembeck, Gun; Whittaker, Maxine; Redman-MacLaren, Michelle

doi:10.1186/s12905-021-01229-0

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In our sample, more girls who were aware of menstruation reported feeling embarrassed at menarche, which may be consistent with findings from Bangladesh that more girls aware of menstruation reported feeling shame ( 11 ). This could suggest that the early information girls receive about menstruation already reinforces its characterization as something shameful and embarrassing ( 19 , 43 – 45 ). Accurate and positive information about the menstrual cycle is needed to support menstrual health and improve girls' experience at menarche ( 44 , 46 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Menstrual Health Knowledge: Awareness of Menstruation at Menarche as an Indicator

Hennegan

Swe²,

Than³

et al. 2022

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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As initiatives to support menstrual health are implemented globally, monitoring progress through a set of comprehensive indicators provides important feedback to direct policies and programs. One proposed core indicator is awareness of menstruation at menarche. That is, at the time of menarche an adolescent girl knowing that menstrual bleeding is something she will experience. In this investigation, we undertook secondary analysis of data collected across four studies to support interpretation of this indicator. We (1) describe the proportion of each sample aware of menstruation at menarche, (2) test variations in awareness according to sociodemographic characteristics, and (3) describe the associations between this indicator and self-reported experience at menarche, social support, and confidence to manage menstruation. Studies included cross-sectional survey data from 421 schoolgirls in Magway, Myanmar, 537 schoolgirls in Soroti, Uganda, 1,359 schoolgirls in Netrokona, Bangladesh, and 599 adult women working in Mukono, Uganda. Awareness of menstruation at menarche varied from 84% in Myanmar to 34% in Bangladesh. Older age at menarche was associated with awareness. Awareness at menarche was not associated with household poverty in the adolescent samples, but greater poverty was associated with lower levels of awareness among adult women. In Myanmar, girls aware of menstruation had significantly higher odds of reporting that they felt prepared (2.85 95% CI 1.34–6.08), happy (OR = 3.81 95% CI 1.74–8.37) and knew what was happening at menarche (OR = 2.37 95% CI 1.34–4.19). However, they also reported higher levels of embarrassment (OR = 1.76 95% CI 1.04–2.97) and did not report significantly less fear (OR = 1.24 95% CI 0.82–1.85). Awareness of menstruation at menarche was associated with higher scores on a menstrual knowledge quiz in both Myanmar (b = 9.51 95% CI 3.99–15.04) and Bangladesh (b = 4.78 95% CI 1.70–7.87). In these studies girls aware of menstruation at menarche also had higher odds of reporting they felt confident discussing menstruation with support sources and managing menstruation at school, while these differences were not significant among schoolgirls in Uganda. Findings support the usefulness of awareness of menstruation at menarche as an indicator to describe minimal knowledge of menstruation and suggest that awareness may signal greater knowledge, social support, and confidence in some settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring Menstrual Health Knowledge: Awareness of Menstruation at Menarche as an Indicator

Hennegan

Swe²,

Than³

et al. 2022

Front. Glob. Womens Health

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“…availability of soap for washing [20,33,49,53,54,[56][57][58]60,61,63,64,66,67,73,77,90,91] and the availability of a physically functional disposal mechanism and/or service for used material [18,28,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37]42,[44][45][46][47][48]52,53,57,58,60,62,63,[66][67][68]71,76,77,82,83,86,90,91,…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Embarrassment and worry were direct results of being seen disposing or washing menstrual materials, and often lead to hiding of materials, and secretive behaviours [19,20,[25][26][27][28][33][34][35]37,40,44,[47][48][49]53,58,60,62,65,68,73,74,[76][77][78][79][80][81][83][84][85]92,97,99]. This worry was usually related to having ones' menstrual status exposed (meaning those around the menstruating individual are aware that they are currently experiencing their period).…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of menstrual material disposal and washing practices: A systematic review

Robinson

Barrington

2021

PLoS ONE

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Background Disposal and washing facilities and services for menstrual materials are often designed based upon technical specifications rather than an in-depth understanding of what drives peoples’ choices of practices. Objectives and data sources This systematic review identified and summarised the main behavioural drivers pertaining to the choice of disposal and washing practices of menstrual materials through the thematic content analysis and study appraisal of 82 publications (80 studies) on menstrual health and hygiene published since 1999, reporting the outcomes of primary research across 26 countries. Results Disposal and washing behaviours are primarily driven by the physical state of sanitation facilities; however, this is intrinsically linked to taboos surrounding and knowledge of menstruation. Implications Using reasons given for disposal and washing practices by menstruators or those who know them well, or inferred by authors of the reviewed studies, we identify the key considerations needed to design facilities and services which best suit the desired behaviours of both planners and those who menstruate. Inclusivity The term menstruators is used throughout to encompass all those mentioned in the studies reviewed (girls and women); although no studies explicitly stated including non-binary or transgender participants, this review uses inclusive language that represents the spectrum of genders that may experience menstruation. Registration The review protocol is registered on PROSPERO: 42019140029.

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“…The structural challenges at school such as inadequate bathrooms also cause difficulties for girls to manage menstruation effectively in school [ 52 – 55 ]. Lack of access to basic and/or comprehensive WASH facilities are also linked to cultural perceptions around menstrual pollution and segregation of menstruating women from accessing common WASH facilities [ 19 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Menarche is an important cultural event in most cultures in the region [ 15 , 18 ]. For example, menarche is associated with restrictive practices based on the perception that menstrual blood is harmful, consequently affecting girl’s and women’s menstrual health [ 15 , 18 , 19 ]. However, the beliefs and practices around menarche and menstruation differ between countries and cultures [ 11 , 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-cultural implications for women’s menstrual health in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs): a scoping review

et al. 2022

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Background Globally, experiences of menarche and subsequent menstruation are embedded in social and cultural beliefs, norms and practices. Menarche is an important developmental milestone in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for females. Menarche is intertwined with socio-cultural norms, beliefs and practices, which can impact on women’s ability to manage menstruation with dignity. This paper reviews the social and cultural factors that affect women’s ability to effectively manage their menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Methods A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA scoping review guidelines and inclusion/exclusion criteria. An online search was conducted for peer-reviewed publications in Medline/OVID; Medline/PubMED; PsycINFO; CINAHL; Scopus and JSTOR, and Google Scholar. A search for grey literature was conducted in Google Scholar and websites of international and local organizations. Experts in the field also contributed additional references. Extracted data were summarised in an Excel spreadsheet. Searches were conducted between May and June, 2019, and then repeated in July, 2020. Results A total of 11 studies were included; 10 qualitative and one mixed methods study. Studies were conducted in Melanesian (n = 9), Polynesian (n = 1) and Micronesian (n = 1) PICTs. All 11 studies reported elements of societal and personal factors; ten studies reported evidence relating to interpersonal factors; nine studies reported elements relating to environmental factors; and two studies presented evidence linked to biological factors. Managing menstrual health with dignity is challenging for many women and girls because menstruation is associated with menstrual taboos and shame. Conclusion This review found that the MHH experiences of women in PICTs are affected by social and cultural beliefs, norms and practices. Beliefs, norms and practices about menarche need to be incorporated in SRH planning, programs and education in order to be relevant to diverse village and urban settings.

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‘Making of a Strong Woman’: a constructivist grounded theory of the experiences of young women around menarche in Papua New Guinea

Cited by 7 publications

References 49 publications

Monitoring Menstrual Health Knowledge: Awareness of Menstruation at Menarche as an Indicator

Monitoring Menstrual Health Knowledge: Awareness of Menstruation at Menarche as an Indicator

Drivers of menstrual material disposal and washing practices: A systematic review

Socio-cultural implications for women’s menstrual health in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs): a scoping review

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