Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Association with Perceived Stress: The Experience of Medical Students in Jordan
Eman Alshdaifat, Nadine Absy, Amer Sindiani, Noor AlOsta, Heba Hijazi, Zouhair Amarin, Eman Alnazly
Abstract
Objective: 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.