"You're Not Alone": How Adolescents Share Dysmenorrhea Experiences Through Vlogs

Area of Science:

• Social Media and Health Communication
• Adolescent Health
• Qualitative Research Methods

Background:

• Adolescents frequently experience severe menstrual pain.
• Medical dismissal of menstrual pain creates barriers to care.
• Social media serves as a platform for adolescents to share experiences and seek community support regarding menstrual health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how adolescents present their experiences with menstrual pain in vlogs.
• To analyze the content and style of YouTube vlogs discussing menstrual pain.
• To identify how these vlogs can inform healthcare provider approaches to adolescent menstrual pain.

Main Methods:

• Critical qualitative methods were employed.
• Seventeen YouTube vlogs featuring adolescents discussing menstrual pain were transcribed and thematically analyzed.
• A four-column analysis structure was utilized for audio and video content.

Main Results:

• Vloggers utilized a blend of documentary and intimate storytime production styles.
• Adolescents presented their menstrual pain experiences from three distinct perspectives: Patient (managing symptoms), Self (impact on life), and Teacher (educating audience).
• Analysis considered both visual and audio elements of the vlogs.

Conclusions:

• Understanding vloggers' stylistic choices and narrative perspectives is crucial for healthcare providers.
• Findings can inform more empathetic and effective communication strategies for discussing menstrual pain with adolescents.
• Further research into health story sharing on social media is warranted.