Experiences and Constructions of Menarche and Menstruation Among Migrant and Refugee Women.
Experiences and constructions of menarche and menstruation are shaped by the sociocultural environment in which women are embedded. We explored experiences and constructions of menarche and menstruation among migrant and refugee women resettled in Sydney, Australia, and Vancouver, Canada. Seventy-eight semistructured individual interviews and 15 focus groups comprised of 82 participants were undertaken with women from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, and varying South American countries. We analyzed the data using thematic decomposition, identifying the overall theme "cycles of shame" and two core themes. In "becoming a woman," participants constructed menarche as a marker of womanhood, closely linked to marriage and childbearing. In "the unspeakable," women conveyed negative constructions of menstruation, positioning it as shameful, something to be concealed, and polluting. Identifying migrant and refugee women's experiences and constructions of menarche and menstruation is essential for culturally safe medical practice, health promotion, and health education.
['Hawkey|Alexandra J|AJ|', 'Ussher|Jane M|JM|', 'Perz|Janette|J|', 'Metusela|Christine|C|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000346:Afghanistan D001315:Australia D002170:Canada D005260:Female D017144:Focus Groups D006801:Humans D007493:Iraq D008572:Menarche D008598:Menstruation D036301:Qualitative Research D012036:Refugees D012752:Shame D057545:Social Stigma D012998:Somalia D013020:South America D000068037:South Sudan D013188:Sri Lanka D013397:Sudan D014171:Transients and Migrants D055815:Young Adult
refugees Australia Canada focus groups thematic decomposition health promotion health care, transcultural interviews, semistructured qualitative reproduction research cross-language research, qualitative sexuality/sexual health women’s health