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Friday, 11 July 2008: 10:00 AM
Learning Objective 1: Describe major concerns African American girls experience to the onset of their first menstrual flow.
Learning Objective 2: Identify private business and secrecy as phenomenological themes present in the life-lived experiences of early sexually maturing girls.
Private business and secrecy around starting the first menstrual flow, menarche, are phenomenological themes present in the life-lived experiences of early sexually maturing girls. Age at first menarche in American girls has declined from the average of 12.8 years to 12.4, and it is not unusual for African American girls to experience menarche by 9 years of age when privacy and secrecy of pubertal features in genital areas of the body are major concerns. However, research literature on the life-lived experiences of early maturers at the time of their first menstrual flow remains sparse. A phenomenological approach was used with a purposive sample of 30 African American participants (15 girls and their mothers) to learn the life-lived experiences of the early maturing girls to their first flow. Data were obtained through interviews within 2 to 5 days after completion of the first flow. Privacy and secrecy were major and consistent themes in the dialogue of the young girls about their 5-day experience with the actual flow and interaction with family, friends, and others in the school setting. In conclusion, phenomenological themes in the dialogue of the girls show a need to further exam the behaviors and practices of early maturers at menarche. Issues on privacy and secrecy surrounding a girl's sexually maturing body can help determine mental health needs at the time of menarche.