Background: Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a presenting symptom of an inherited bleeding disorder (BD) and results in hospitalizations, limitations of daily activities, and a reduction in quality of life. Adult women with BD report a sense of stigma, difficulties understanding their bleeding, and challenges with diagnostic labels. The experiences of adolescents with HMB and BD are unknown despite advances in medical management through the rapidly growing network of young women's hematology programs.
Objectives:The objective of our qualitative study was to describe the experiences of adolescents with HMB with a BD and the impact on their day-to-day lives.Patients/Methods: Our qualitative study utilized semistructured interviews with adolescents with HMB after a BD diagnosis. We included adolescents with a BD within a multidisciplinary Young Women's Bleeding Disorders Clinic who had achieved menarche within the preceding 3 years and conducted interviews until theme saturation. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative thematic descriptive analysis.
Results:We identified the following themes in nine participants: anxiety and embarrassment, especially related to school; isolation and "otherness"; increased cautiousness and planning because of HMB and BD; and empowerment and identity formation because of the diagnosis of a BD.
Conclusions:Our study uncovers previously unappreciated experiences of adolescents with HMB and a BD. HMB is an isolating and stressful experience in adolescents, but a BD diagnosis results in identity formation and empowerment. Psychological support and facilitating connections to others with similar life experiences soon after diagnosis represents key areas for targeted interventions.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented uncertainty and unpleasant feelings among a variety of individuals and populations. Mental health challenges rooted in feelings of social isolation, and for some grief and loss, have sparked dialogue about the importance of communicating compassion during times of crisis. This chapter focuses on instructor-student interactions in the throes of COVID-19 and the critical significance of compassionate pedagogy. While instructors often engage in caring for their students, the authors of this chapter propose that putting forth care and concern or verbalizing empathy or sympathy is drastically different than engaging in compassionate pedagogy. Simply, instructors who show compassion toward their students in times of struggle are actively motivated to alleviate student anxieties or stress through practical accommodation(s). In this chapter, strategies are outlined to give educators the means to implement compassionate pedagogy toward students during and beyond a global crisis.
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