Associations of primary dysmenorrhea with menstrual attitudes and mental well-being levels in physiotherapy students : A cross-sectional research

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea in physiotherapy students and to reveal the relationship between primary dysmenorrhea and menstrual attitudes and mental well-being levels. The study population consisted of 252 students enrolled in the Physiotherapy Program. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was employed to assess pain severity, the Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ) was utilized to evaluate attitudes towards menstruation, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was utilized to ascertain mental status. It was found that individuals who had menstrual pain at the onset of menstruation, those who had menstrual pain continuing throughout menstruation, those who consulted a physician when they had menstrual pain, those who reported using painkillers for menstrual pain, those who reported using a practice to control menstrual pain, those who reported that the methods they used did not relieve dysmenorrhea , those who reported that menstrual pain prevented them from attending school, and those with a family history of dysmenorrhea had higher NRS pain scores and lower MAQ scores, and these values were statistically significant (p<0.05). It was observed that the MAQ had a negative and moderately significant relationship with the NRS (r:-0.519, p<0.01). It was determined that the participants perceived menstruation as an uncomfortable but not debilitating process in maintaining their daily lives, yet negative experiences related to dysmenorrhoea negatively affected their menstrual attitudes and positive psychology levels. In this context, it will be important to include menstrual health education and related pain management techniques in university curricula in order to develop skills for coping with dysmenorrhea.