The social support experiences of women with endometriosis

Martha L. Whitney
1995 · W2581539513
dissertation OA: closed CC0 Metadata only
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This study explored the social support experiences of 46 women with endometriosis, finding they desired validation, understanding of symptoms, knowledgeable support, and shared information from their networks.

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Abstract

Approximately one in seven women have endometriosis, a disease that may cause pain and/or infertility. Therefore, many women experience the stress of this disease in their life and yet little is known about how they cope with this stress. This study focuses on the coping resource of social support. The social support experiences of forty-six women, who participate in an endometriosis support group on the Internet, were examined. A questionnaire was designed to explore the social support experiences of these women in four relationship categories: spouse/partner, friends/extended family, others with endometriosis, and health care providers. In written responses, these women shared many poignant and compelling stories about their struggles with the disease and their experiences with social support relative to the disease. The participants’ responses were analyzed for themes. Overall themes that emerged from the analysis include: the participants wanted to be listened to and believed, they wanted their support network to be knowledgeable about endometriosis, they wanted others to understand the symptoms of the disease, and they wanted their support system to share information about the disease.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (32)

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