International Journal of Women's Health (Jun 2022)
Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Association with Perceived Stress: The Experience of Medical Students in Jordan
Abstract
Eman Alshdaifat,1 Nadine Absy,2 Amer Sindiani,3 Noor AlOsta,2 Hiba Hijazi,4,5 Zouhair Amarin,3 Eman Alnazly6 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan; 2Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 4Department of Health Management and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 5Department of Health Services Administration, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 6Faculty of Nursing, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, JordanCorrespondence: Eman Alshdaifat, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, P.O. Box: 566, Irbid, 21163, Jordan, Tel +962795780335, Email [email protected]: To assess the prevalence of premenstrual and menstrual symptoms and to investigate premenstrual severity’s association with perceived stress of premenstrual syndrome among medical students.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected between March and April 2021, a self-administered online questionnaire (Supplementary Material) was distributed to a sample of female medical students in Jordan (n=594).Results: The mean age was 21.6 ± 2.2 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.8 ± 4.1 kg/m2. Most students were in their 5th and 6th university year, where 75.4% reported having dysmenorrhea, 45.8% used pharmacological agents for pain relief, while 54.2% used non-pharmacological means, and 58.1% occasionally skipped lectures. Most participants reported a constellation of physical and psychological symptoms. The mean for the premenstrual severity scale score was 29.3, and the mean for the perceived stress scale scores was 21.6. There was a statistically significant correlation between the premenstrual severity scale score and the perceived stress scale, between the premenstrual severity scale and absenteeism, between premenstrual severity scale and year of study, and between dysmenorrhea and the perceived stress scale, but not between the severity of symptoms and method of pain relief.Conclusion: Premenstrual and menstrual symptoms have a negative impact on students that affects their academic participation. More support should be given from universities to address the menstruation-related struggles of female students.Keywords: premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual severity scale, perceived stress scale, medical students