World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO EXAMINE PERCEIVED STRESS AND SEVERITY OF PERI MENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS AMONG WOMEN IN SELECTED AREAS, BANGALORE

Jyothi G.* and Dr. Hemalatha R.

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Menstruation is typically a universal event during a woman’s reproductive life, and up to 87 percent of the women in India perceive stress. Perceived Stress may influence the subsequent menstrual cycles and causes severity of peri menstrual Symptoms. Early detection and effective stress reduction measures may reduce the severity of peri menstrual symptoms. The Study was conducted to examine perceived stress among women, to examine severity of peri menstrual symptoms among women, to find out the relationship between perceived stress and severity of peri menstrual symptoms among women, to find out an association between perceived stress and severity of peri menstrual symptoms among women with the selected demographic variables, to prepare information pamphlet regarding stress reduction measures among Women in selected areas, Bangalore. Methods: An exploratory approach with non-experimental descriptive research design was used for this study. Modified Lenz’s Model of Unpleasant Symptoms was used as the conceptual framework of the study. 100 women with regular menstrual cycle, present in St.Teresa’s D. Ed college and Willington English Medium School, Chamrajpet, Bangalore, were chosen by purposive sampling technique. The data was collected from the women with regular menstrual cycle during three phases i.e. after menstruation, during ovulation and before menstruation in the month of August 2013. Background variables, perceived stress scale and peri menstrual symptoms were assessed by using structured questionnaire, standardized Sheldon Cohen’s stress scale and standardized Audra L. Gollenberg’s perimenstrual symptoms check list. Results: The data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Among the 100 respondents, 93 percent had moderate acuity and 2 percent had high acuity after menstruation, where as 78 percent had moderate acuity and 4 percent had high acuity during ovulation and 81 percent had moderate acuity and 4 percent had high acuity before menstruation. 35 percent had moderate symptoms and 10 percent had severe symptoms after menstruation, where as 25 percent had moderate symptoms and 16 percent had severe symptoms during ovulation and 39 percent had moderate symptoms and 16 percent had severe symptoms before menstruation. The result shows there is a positive relation between perceived stress and severity of peri menstrual symptoms (r=0.2664 at 0.05 level of significance) and there is significant association between perceived stress and background variable of the women like BMI. A significant association was also there between severity of peri menstrual symptoms and background variables like occupation of the women. Conclusion: This study shows that the women with moderate to high stress experiences moderate to severe peri menstrual symptoms and necessary interventions must be taken to reduce stress and to manage symptoms.

[Full Text Article]   [Download Certificate]