Attitudes and expectations towards acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea: Findings from a cross-sectional survey in Australia.

Abstract

Objective: To describe attitudes towards acupuncture and expectations regarding potential treatment outcomes among women with self-reported primary dysmenorrhoea (PD) residing in Australia.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive online survey was conducted to assess attitudes and treatment expectancy using an adapted version of previously published complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) attitude scale and a validated acupuncture expectancy scale (AES). Data were analysed descriptively, with exploratory analysis conducted to support the interpretation of response patterns. Ethical approval was obtained from the Edith Cowan University Human Research Ethics Committee (2023-04471-LIU) and participants provided electronic informed consent.

Results: A total of 247 responses were received. Participants were mainly aged 25-30 years and largely from Western Australia. Many reported having experienced PD for more than 6 months and a range of related symptoms. Item-level analysis suggested generally favourable attitudes towards acupuncture, with 81% expressing interest in acupuncture. Treatment expectancy was moderate overall. Sensitivity and exploratory stratified analyses showed broadly comparable descriptive patterns across demographic and clinical subgroups.

Conclusion: Women with self-reported PD showed generally favourable attitudes towards acupuncture and moderate expectancy. Of note, this was found to be a self-selected sample with higher educational attainment that was predominantly interested in acupuncture. Findings reflect perceived acceptability rather than clinical effectiveness or population-level perspectives and should not be generalised. As attitudes were assessed using an adapted, non-validated instrument, results should be interpreted cautiously as indicative of response tendencies. Future research is needed among women not interested in acupuncture and those with a lower educational level to further explore the contextual and experiential factors that potentially shape how acupuncture is perceived and utilised.