Abstract
Vaginal complaints are a common presenting problem in primary care settings. A disease model has dominated current research and treatment paradigms, with little attention to the illness or experiential dimensions of vaginal complaints. In this paper, we report data from a qualitative study of the experiences of women diagnosed with vaginitis. In semi-structured interviews with 44 women in New York City, United States, we investigated women's interpretations and explanations of their illness, their accounts of its impact on their lives, their experiences with treatment, and the role of vaginal symptoms in communicating distress and anger. We found that women's explanations of vaginal complaints differed strikingly from the current medical model described in the literature on vaginitis. Vaginal symptoms often occasioned extreme anxiety; their impact on social and sexual functioning could be severe. Finally, vaginal symptoms often functioned to express distress and gender conflict. These findings have important implications for the management of the disorder.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1013-1021 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Social Science and Medicine |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2003 |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- Explanatory models
- Illness representation
- USA
- Vaginal complaints
- Women's health
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Economics and Econometrics
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Social Psychology
- Development
- Health(social science)
Cite this
The vaginitis monologues : Women's experiences of vaginal complaints in a primary care setting. / Karasz, Alison; Anderson, Matthew R.
In: Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 56, No. 5, 03.2003, p. 1013-1021.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The vaginitis monologues
T2 - Women's experiences of vaginal complaints in a primary care setting
AU - Karasz, Alison
AU - Anderson, Matthew R.
PY - 2003/3
Y1 - 2003/3
N2 - Vaginal complaints are a common presenting problem in primary care settings. A disease model has dominated current research and treatment paradigms, with little attention to the illness or experiential dimensions of vaginal complaints. In this paper, we report data from a qualitative study of the experiences of women diagnosed with vaginitis. In semi-structured interviews with 44 women in New York City, United States, we investigated women's interpretations and explanations of their illness, their accounts of its impact on their lives, their experiences with treatment, and the role of vaginal symptoms in communicating distress and anger. We found that women's explanations of vaginal complaints differed strikingly from the current medical model described in the literature on vaginitis. Vaginal symptoms often occasioned extreme anxiety; their impact on social and sexual functioning could be severe. Finally, vaginal symptoms often functioned to express distress and gender conflict. These findings have important implications for the management of the disorder.
AB - Vaginal complaints are a common presenting problem in primary care settings. A disease model has dominated current research and treatment paradigms, with little attention to the illness or experiential dimensions of vaginal complaints. In this paper, we report data from a qualitative study of the experiences of women diagnosed with vaginitis. In semi-structured interviews with 44 women in New York City, United States, we investigated women's interpretations and explanations of their illness, their accounts of its impact on their lives, their experiences with treatment, and the role of vaginal symptoms in communicating distress and anger. We found that women's explanations of vaginal complaints differed strikingly from the current medical model described in the literature on vaginitis. Vaginal symptoms often occasioned extreme anxiety; their impact on social and sexual functioning could be severe. Finally, vaginal symptoms often functioned to express distress and gender conflict. These findings have important implications for the management of the disorder.
KW - Explanatory models
KW - Illness representation
KW - USA
KW - Vaginal complaints
KW - Women's health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037367318&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0037367318&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00092-8
DO - 10.1016/S0277-9536(02)00092-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 12593874
AN - SCOPUS:0037367318
VL - 56
SP - 1013
EP - 1021
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
SN - 0277-9536
IS - 5
ER -