Symptoms, attitudes and treatment choices surrounding menopause among the Q'eqchi Maya of Livingston, Guatemala
Symptoms, attitudes and treatment choices surrounding menopause among the Q'eqchi Maya of Livingston, Guatemala
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DOI：
10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.02.010
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发表时间：
2006-08-01
影响因子：
5.4
通讯作者：
Caceres, Armando
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Michel, Joanna L.;Mahady, Gail B.;Caceres, Armando
本研究探讨了危地马拉东部热带低地的Q‘eqchi玛雅人围绕妇女健康和更年期的症状、态度和治疗。数据是通过参与者观察、半结构化访谈、焦点小组和走访来自利文斯顿市伊扎巴尔州的50名Q‘eqchi社区成员获得的，其中包括5名助产士、5名传统男性治疗师和8名绝经后妇女。结果表明，利文斯顿的埃克奇玛雅人对妇女的健康有着自己的文化观念，这些观念影响着更年期转变期间的态度、症状和治疗选择。由于月经和更年期的讨论在魁北克人中被认为是文化禁忌，许多女性提到，当出现意想不到的和不熟悉的症状时，会过度专注。此外，当她们的配偶将更年期症状(阴道干燥、性冷淡)误解为不忠时，许多女性遭受了额外的困难。在接受采访的8名绝经后妇女中，有7人表示在绝经过渡期间经历了一种或多种症状，包括头痛、焦虑、肌肉疼痛、抑郁和潮热。这些结果不同于之前在墨西哥报道的缺乏症状的研究，但与在危地马拉高地进行的其他玛雅人群体更年期研究的结果一致。尽管Q‘eqchi没有使用专门的术语来表示“潮热”，但三名Q’eqchi女性使用了“Baja presion”或“血压降低”来解释伴随着寒战、心悸和情绪不稳定的大量出汗的症状。Q‘eqchi玛雅提到了一些治疗更年期症状的草药疗法。需要对这些植物疗法进行进一步研究，以确定其安全性和有效性，以便继续使用。(C)2006爱思唯尔有限公司。保留所有权利。
The present study explored symptoms, attitudes and treatments surrounding women's health and menopause among the Q'eqchi Maya of the eastern tropical lowlands of Guatemala. Data were obtained through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and plant walks with 50 Q'eqchi community members from the state of Izabal, Municipality of Livingston, including five midwives, five traditional male healers and eight postmenopausal women. Results indicate that the Q'eqchi Maya of Livingston possess their own cultural perceptions of women's health which affect attitudes, symptoms and treatment choices during the menopausal transition. Since discussions of menstruation and menopause are considered cultural taboos among the Q'eqchi, many women mentioned experiencing excessive preoccupation when unanticipated and unfamiliar symptoms occurred. Furthermore, many women suffered from additional hardship when their spouse misinterpreted menopausal symptoms (vaginal dryness, sexual disinterest) as infidelity. Seven of the eight postmenopausal women interviewed indicated experiencing one or more symptoms during the menopausal transition, including headaches, anxiety, muscular pain, depression, and hot flashes. These results differ from the lack of symptomatology reported in previous studies in Mexico, but are in line with the result of menopausal research conducted among other Maya groups from the highlands of Guatemala. Although the Q'eqchi did not use a specific term for "hot flash", three Q'eqchi women used the expression "baja presion" or a "lowering of blood pressure" to explain symptoms of profuse sweating followed by chills, heart palpitations, and emotional instability. The Q'eqchi Maya mentioned a number of herbal remedies to treat menopausal symptoms. Further research on these botanical treatments is needed in order to ascertain their safety and efficacy for continued use. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.