Acta Paediatr. 2002 ; 91(4): 466-74.

French adolescent attitudes towards informal care for physical and emotional or relational problems.

Pommier J, Billot L, Mouchtouris A, Deschamps JP, Romero MI, Zubarew T.

The objective of this study was to determine adolescents' attitudes concerning the use of self-care and traditional medicines. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire with open-ended questions was completed by 543 adolescents aged 15-19 y. The results showed that the most frequent self-care activity for general health problems, in more than three-quarters of them, was self-medication; 14% of them resorted to minor home treatment such as taking care of wounds, bandaging or massages. Instructions for use were mentioned by 69% of adolescents as a way of choosing self-prescribed drugs. Natural medicines were used by 32% of the girls and 23% of the boys, mainly herbal teas or plant-based medicines, followed by homoeopathy. Self-care for emotional and relational problems mainly involved thinking about the problem and questioning themselves about their own behaviour or about the way they are. They also mentioned activities such as sports, going out, listening to music, watching television, and trying to think about something else by keeping themselves occupied. Natural medicines were used by 19% of the girls and 13% of the boys. Plant-based medicines or herbal teas were used most often, followed by drugs or alcohol, with homoeopathy in third place. Conclusion: Self-care and alternative medicines were used by adolescents in this study for physical as well as for emotional or relational problems. Their use did not reflect dissatisfaction with physicians and hospital treatment or an objection to formal services, but rather was a choice of these approaches for their own specific characteristics. They were also viewed as being less harmful than conventional treatment.