ABSTRACT

Introduction: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is often overlooked in research despite being an occupation for many people, including adolescent and adult women as well as transgender and gender non-binary individuals. Available research shows that menstrual symptoms can decrease participation in other occupations, including work and education. The available research also suggests that marginalized groups, such as the homeless population, have limited access to hygiene and environmental resources needed for their MHM. Due to the limited research on MHM needs among the homeless population, the purposes of this study were 1) to learn about facilitators and barriers to MHM among the homeless population and 2) to understand the occupational impact of menstruation and MHM for women experiencing homelessness. Methods: Participants were recruited from three homeless service agencies in the greater St. Louis area to participate in a survey and focus groups. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics were generated. Results: Five themes were identified, describing participants’ experiences with MHM while homeless. Themes were grouped into three categories—barriers, facilitators, and occupational impact of MHM. Themes illuminate factors both intrinsic to participants and within their external contexts that impacted participants’ MHM performance and wider occupational engagement. Implications: Women face additional barriers to MHM during homelessness which can further disrupt participation and performance in several areas of occupation such as ADLs, work/school, and social participation. MHM can exacerbate existing issues of occupational injustice for this population. Facilitators to MHM for women experiencing homelessness were identified to inform the development of occupation-based programs for this population.

摘要

简介：月经卫生管理 (MHM) 在研究中经常被忽视，尽管它是许多人的职业，包括青少年和成年女性以及跨性别者和性别非二元个体。现有研究表明，月经症状会减少其他职业的参与，包括工作和教育。现有研究还表明，边缘化群体（例如无家可归者）获得 MHM 所需的卫生和环境资源的机会有限。由于对无家可归者 MHM 需求的研究有限，本研究的目的是 1) 了解无家可归者 MHM 的促进因素和障碍，以及 2) 了解月经和 MHM 对无家可归妇女的职业影响。方法：从大圣路易斯地区的三个无家可归者服务机构招募参与者参与调查和焦点小组。使用定性内容分析对数据进行分析，并生成描述性统计数据。结果：确定了五个主题，描述了参与者在无家可归时与 MHM 的经历。主题分为三类——MHM 的障碍、促进因素和职业影响。主题阐明了参与者的内在因素和影响参与者的 MHM 绩效和更广泛的职业参与的外部环境。影响：妇女在无家可归期间面临 MHM 的额外障碍，这可能进一步破坏在多个职业领域的参与和表现，例如 ADL、工作/学校和社会参与。MHM 会加剧该人群现有的职业不公正问题。确定了无家可归妇女的 MHM 促进者，以便为针对该人群的职业计划的发展提供信息。