RELATED FACTORS AND CONSEQUENCES OF MENSTRUAL DISTRESS IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS WITH DYSMENORRHEA

This study investigated symptoms, related factors, and consequences of menstrual distress in adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea. A total of 198 participants were recruited by convenience sampling from a technical college in Tainan County, Taiwan. Four instruments were used to collect data: a Demographic Data Questionnaire, a Menstrual Distress Questionnaire, the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, and an Adolescent Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire. The top five symptoms of menstrual distress were cramps, fatigue, backache, swollen abdomen, and tender breasts. Results of stepwise multiple regression indicated that the best subsets for predicting adolescent menstrual distress, including age, mother’s occupation, menstrual pain, and menstrual attitude, accounted for 59% of total variance. From the correlation analysis, the more severe the menstrual distress, the higher the impact on daily activities as well as the more frequent the absence from class and analgesic usage. The results of this study may provide a useful reference for school nurses designing menstrual health programs for adolescents.