Acta Tropica 103 (2007) 90–97 A qualitative study of the psychosocial and health consequences associated with lymphedema among women in the Dominican Republic  Bobbie Person a,* , David Addiss b , L. Kay Bartholomew c , Cecilia Meijer d , Victor Pou e , Guillermo Gonz´ alvez f , Bart van den Borne g a National Center for Prevention, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-C14, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA b Fetzer Institute, 9292 West KL Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49009-9398, USA c Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 7000 Fannin Street, Suite 2572, Houston, TX 77030, USA d Coordinating Office for Terrorism Prevention and Emergency Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D-44, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA e Instituto Dermatologico y Cirugia de Piel Dr. Huberto Bogaert D´ ıaz (DHBD), Federico Vel´ asquez Esq. Albert Thomas, Departamento de Flebologia, Counsultorio 18, Santo Domingo, D.N., Dominican Republic f Centro Para el Control de Enfermedades Tropicales (CENCET), Ave. Duarte No. 269, Villa Maria, Santo Domingo City, Dominican Republic g Universiteit Maastricht, Essenlaan 5, 5071 CL Undenhout, The Netherlands Received 13 February 2007; accepted 20 May 2007 Available online 25 May 2007 Abstract To date, few studies have addressed the sequelae of lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-transmitted disease, on the quality of life of affected women in the Americas. In this qualitative study, we conducted 28 semi-structured interviews and 3 focus groups of women with lymphedema or elephantiasis of the leg living in filariasis-endemic areas of the Dominican Republic. Women in our study described a spectrum of consequences associated with their lymphedema but physical, functional, and psychological limitations were not always associated with severity of lymphedema. Data suggests that management frameworks need to be expanded to address women’s explanatory models of illness, the cultural practices of seeking traditional healers for initial care, psychological distress, coping strategies unique to women, and the practice of self treating with antibiotics without medical supervision. Further research to better understand the depth and breadth of psychological states and coping strategies of women; the health seeking and self-management practices; and the strain on social support networks of women is needed in order to assist health program planners in establishing culturally tailored and gender-specific interventions for Dominican women. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Lymphatic filariasis; Lymphedema; Women; Dominican Republic  The opinions or assertions contained in this manuscript are the private ones of the authors and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the view of the U.S. Public Health Service or the Department of Health and Human Services. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Public Health Service or the Department of Health and Human Services. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 404 639 2114; fax: +1 404 639 2128. E-mail addresses: bep2@cdc.gov, bperson@cdc.gov (B. Person), daddiss@fetzer.org (D. Addiss), Leona.K.Bartholomew@uth.tmc.edu (L.K. Bartholomew), aoe5@cdc.gov (C. Meijer), dvep001@yahoo.com (V. Pou), gonzalvez@hotmail.com (G. Gonz´ alvez), b.vdborne@gvo.unimaas.nl (B. van den Borne). 0001-706X/$ – see front matter © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2007.05.010