Premenstrual syndrome and attitudes toward menstruation in a sample of nursing students

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate baccalaureate nursing students’ attitudes toward menstruation, and to analyze the frequency of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms, as well as the relationship between attitudes toward menstruation and PMS symptoms. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between February 15 and March 10, 2009, in Ankara Turkey. The study participants were 250 undergraduate nursing student volunteers. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the validated Turkish version of the Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ), and the validated Turkish Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) Scale. Obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0. Findings: The average age of participants was 19.89 ± 1.43. The MAQ’s five subscales’ mean scores ranged from 2.67 ± 0.58 to 3.37 ± 0.52, indicating natural to moderate attitudes toward menstruation. The mean PMS score was 114.86 ± 35.15, indicating moderate PMS symptoms. PMS symptoms were detected in 36.4% of the nursing students. Thirty one percent of the students reported having dysmenorrhoea during every menstrual cycle. Students who had PMS symptoms scored significantly higher on the debilitation subscale and scored significantly lower on the denial subscale of the MAQ (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings of this research showed that menstruation was considered to be a natural event by most of the nursing students. In addition, dysmenorrhea was found to be the most common menstrual problem and the rate of PMS was found lower than that found in previous researches conducted in Turkey.

Keywords::

• Menstruation
• pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms
• attitudes
• nursing students

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank to Duygu Yediren and Eda Vural who supported us during the data collection.

Declaration of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Current knowledge on PMS symptoms and attitudes toward menstruation

• Women’s attitudes towards menstruation have been assessed by several studies in different countries, and cultural differences were found.

• Attitudes towards menstruation may play an important role in the perception of menstrual distress.

• PMS is particularly common in women and associated factors varies from studies to studies depending on culture and population of interest

• In Turkey, the interaction between attitudes towards menstruation and PMS symptoms has not been studied yet.

What this study adds

• Nursing students perceived menstruation as natural, a little predictable and debilitating, and somewhat bothersome.

• The prevalence of the PMS symptoms in this study was found lower than that found in previous researches conducted in Turkey.

• Dysmenorrhea was found to be the most common menstrual problem in nursing students.

• Nursing students who had PMS symptoms, perceived menstruation as more debilitating.