Teresa Riney 

This study used a qualitative thematic analysis carried out on an online survey which was distributed through online support groups platforms for people with Dysmenorrhea. The research findings intend to discover the changes that are needed within support groups for dysmenorrhea in order to enhance support awareness and knowledge. Data was collected from 9 participants that identified with either using online or offline support groups or both. The inclusive criteria were people who experienced period pain and used either online support groups or offline support groups. Participation was voluntary, links to the survey were posted through Reddit, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The thematic analysis was carried out with the assistance of Miro and Word Art word clouds.

The study highlighted three important findings, demonstrating the need for more help, support, and education needed for people dealing with Dysmenorrhea and also for the community. There was no significant difference found between the offline and online support groups in terms of the results. The only difference was in the offline support groups which experienced a lot more criticism from family and friends. The findings of this research may be employed to encourage more widespread education in communities and schools, in order to allow dysmenorrhea to become a part of daily conversations. Consequences from this would improve help and support for people suffering with Dysmenorrhea. Improving community relations with people who are suffering from dysmenorrhea may encourage a larger circulation of information to manage symptoms and a better acceptance and understanding of the problems associated with it. Educational organisations may be interested in these findings, also support groups administrators may find the results useful for improving the regulations and rules of the community support groups