scholarly journals A study of impact of stress: examinations on menstrual cycle among medical students

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 4703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant Kumar Rathi ◽  
Megha Agrawal ◽  
Girish Chandra Baniya
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Premenstrual Symptom ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Dsm 5 ◽  
Exam Stress ◽  
Moderate Stress

Background: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), a common problem among adolescent girls, is associated with various physical, mental and behavioral symptoms that lead to social and occupational impairment. Stress has also been hypothesized to be an important etiologic factor. Examination stress may also be responsible for affecting the premenstrual symptoms. The objectives of this study was to study the impact of exam stress on the menstrual cycle and the relationship of perceived stress with the severity of premenstrual symptoms. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted among female medical students of final MBBS, who were candidate of upcoming exams. They were assessed on semi structured socio-demographic and menstrual history proforma, ACOG guidelines, DSM-5 criteria, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Premenstrual Symptom Screening Tool (PSST).Results: As per ACOG guidelines, 66% participants had PMS and 6% participants had PMDD according to DSM-5 criteria. On PSST total 88% participants had premenstrual symptoms and out of them 58% had mild/no PMS while 30% had moderate to severe PMS. 5% participants also fulfilled criteria for PMDD on PSST. Stress was found to be mild in 26% and moderate in 74% participants on PSS. PMS was found in 93.75% participants who had painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) and this association was statistically significant. Data wise 73.1% participants having mild stress had PMS, while 93.2% participants having moderate stress, had PMS and this association was found to be statistically significant.  Surprisingly not a single participant consulted to any health care provider for their menstruation related problems.Conclusions: Premenstrual Syndrome is common in adolescent girls and exam stress is an important etiological factor. PMS/PMDD was found significantly higher in participants who had dysmenorrhea and moderate stress. A positive and highly significant correlation was also found between the severity of stress and severity of premenstrual symptoms.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Premenstrual Symptoms and Symptom Severity among Female Medical Students - An Institutional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (01) ◽  
pp. 33-36
Author(s):  
Neelam Banga ◽  
Gagandeep Kaur ◽  
Gunjeet Singh Sandhu ◽  
Sukhwinder Singh ◽  
Avneesh Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Premenstrual Symptom ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Daily Record ◽  
Menstrual Distress ◽  
Severe Degree

BACKGROUND Premenstrual symptoms are generally seen 7 - 10 days before the menstruation period and are collectively called as premenstrual syndrome. Dysmenorrhea is the most common premenstrual symptom that affects the lifestyle and activity of young women. This study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms and its severity in female medical student population of Government Medical college, Patiala, Punjab. METHODS 500 female medical students aged between 18 - 28 years were included in the study. Female students were asked to fill preformed questionnaire to elicit gynaecological information as well as the 4-point grading scale menstrual distress questionnaires. Symptoms were divided into two groups: physical symptoms and behavioural / psychological symptoms. RESULTS Only 30.24 % of the students reported one or more symptoms; of these, 22.76 % were having mild, 5.6 % moderate and 1.87 % severe degree of symptoms. From physical and behavioural / psychological symptoms, it was noticed that behavioural / psychological symptoms predominate. Among physical symptoms, breast tenderness is experienced most followed by bloating, and weight gain during premenstrual phase. Among psychological / behavioural symptoms, irritability predominates followed by restlessness & mood swings. CONCLUSIONS Diagnosis is best achieved through daily rating symptoms over at least one menstrual cycle; clinicians can ask patients to choose their worst symptoms and chart the severity daily, or can select a validated scale such as the Daily Record of Severity of Problems. Disappearance of symptoms after menstruation is the key to diagnosis. KEYWORDS Premenstrual Syndrome, Depressive Disorder, Prevalence, Dysmenorrhea

Psychometric Properties of a DSM-5-Based Screening Tool for Women's Perceptions of Premenstrual Symptoms

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412097969
Author(s):  
Meghan A. Richards ◽  
Kirsten A. Oinonen
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Premenstrual Symptom ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Screening Measure ◽  
Dsm 5 ◽  
Symptom Screening ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

A premenstrual screening tool is needed when time constraints and attrition limit the feasibility of daily ratings. The present study examines the utility of a novel, 33-item, retrospective, dimensional, DSM-5-based, screening measure developed to explore women’s perceptions of premenstrual symptomatology. This is the first measure that examines perception of impairment for each DSM-5 symptom and assesses the frequency criterion. Participants (N = 331) reported symptoms ranging from none to a level consistent with a provisional DSM-5 diagnosis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Initial psychometric properties indicated a five-factor structure: (1) affective symptoms; (2) fatigue, sleep, and anhedonia; (3) symptom frequency; (4) impairment and severity of appetite change and physical symptoms; and (5) difficulty concentrating. The total symptom scale and the frequency, severity, and impairment subscales demonstrated high internal consistency. Strong correlations between this dimensional measure and other retrospective and prospective premenstrual symptom measures suggest strong convergent, concurrent, and predictive validity. Premenstrual symptom groups created using this screening measure (minimal, mild/moderate, severe) differed on other retrospective and prospective measures of premenstrual symptoms. There was evidence of divergent validity and lack of an acquiescence bias. We also report data describing women’s perceptions of the frequency, level of impairment, and level of severity for each DSM-5 PMDD symptom over a 12-month period and discuss implications for future research on premenstrual phenomenology. Initial evidence for the reliability and construct validity of this symptom screening measure suggests potential value for assessing premenstrual symptomatology in research and practice.

The inter-relationship of premenstrual symptoms

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 947-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Mira ◽  
S. Abraham ◽  
D. McNeil ◽  
J. Vizzard ◽  
P. Macaskill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Premenstrual Symptom ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Factor Scores ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Mood Symptoms ◽  
Control Subjects ◽  
Symptom Reports ◽  
And Control

SYNOPSISThe prospective symptom reports of women seeking treatment for premenstrual symptoms and control subjects were investigated. In order to compare symptom reports from premenstrual symptom sufferers and control subjects a method of combining and analysing prospectively collected menstrual cycle symptom data is required. A technique that uses the time of onset of menses and the time of ovulation (as measured by urinary luteinizing hormone excretion) to standardize each cycle into 14 time points was developed. Summary factors were then empirically derived from data collected prospectively from 30 premenstrual symptom sufferers and 19 control subjects. Twenty-two mood symptoms were summarized into a single factor and the 29 most frequently occurring physical symptoms were summarized into two factors. Factor scores were calculated on the basis of these factors and the effect of time during the menstrual cycle on these scores examined. Both physical symptom factor scores increased significantly in the luteal phase for both the premenstrual symptom sufferer group and the control group. The single mood factor score increased significantly in the luteal phase for the premenstrual symptom sufferer group but not for the control group, suggesting that the only qualitative difference between the groups was the presence of cyclic mood symptoms in the premenstrual symptom sufferer group. The premenstrual symptom sufferer group recorded significantly higher scores on each of the three factors than the control group. The correlation between the scores on each of the factors over three cycles was high both in the follicular and luteal phase suggesting that these factor scores provide a reproducible measure of menstrual cycle symptomatology.

scholarly journals Tracking Stress, Mental Health, and Resilience Factors in Medical Students Before, During, and After a Stress-Inducing Exam Period: Protocol and Proof-of-Principle Analyses for the RESIST Cohort Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Fritz ◽  
Jan Stochl ◽  
Rogier A Kievit ◽  
Anne-Laura van Harmelen ◽  
Paul O Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Exam Stress ◽  
Resilience Factors

BACKGROUND Knowledge of mental distress and resilience factors over the time span from before to after a stressor is important to be able to leverage the most promising resilience factors and promote mental health at the right time. To shed light on this topic, we designed the RESIST (Resilience Study) study, in which we assessed medical students before, during, and after their yearly exam period. Exam time is generally a period of notable stress among medical students, and it has been suggested that exam time triggers mental distress. OBJECTIVE In this paper, we aim to describe the study protocol and to examine whether the exam period indeed induces higher perceived stress and mental distress. We also aim to explore whether perceived stress and mental distress coevolve in response to exams. METHODS RESIST is a cohort study in which exam stress functions as a within-subject natural stress manipulation. In this paper, we outline the sample (N=451), procedure, assessed measures (including demographics, perceived stress, mental distress, 13 resilience factors, and adversity), and ethical considerations. Moreover, we conducted a series of latent growth models and bivariate latent change score models to analyze perceived stress and mental distress changes over the 3 time points. RESULTS We found that perceived stress and mental distress increased from the time before the exams to the exam period and decreased after the exams to a lower level than before the exams. Our findings further suggest that higher mental distress before exams increased the risk of developing more perceived stress during exams. Higher perceived stress during exams, in turn, increased the risk of experiencing a less successful (or quick) recovery of mental distress after exams. CONCLUSIONS As expected, the exam period caused a temporary increase in perceived stress and mental distress. Therefore, the RESIST study lends itself well to exploring resilience factors in response to naturally occurring exam stress. Such knowledge will eventually help researchers to find out which resilience factors lend themselves best as prevention targets and which lend themselves best as treatment targets for the mitigation of mental health problems that are triggered or accelerated by natural exam stress. The findings from the RESIST study may therefore inform student support services, mental health services, and resilience theory.

scholarly journals Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and the Myth of the Irrational Female

2020 ◽  
pp. 287-302
Author(s):  
Sally King
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Reproductive Biology ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Population Studies ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Rigorous Approach

Abstract King’s chapter begins by describing the historical context of ‘premenstrual’ symptoms, which were first formally described in 1931. She then questions the prioritization of mood-based symptoms in the diagnostic criteria for Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). King argues that population studies suggest that mood-based symptoms are not the most common nor most disruptive of menstrual changes. She then proposes that the trend of ‘psychologizing’ premenstrual symptoms is influenced by the sexist historical assumption of ‘the myth of the irrational female’—the idea that women, due to their reproductive biology, are pathologically emotional and thus have a reduced capacity for reason. The author concludes by calling for a more integrated and rigorous approach to PMS definitions and research to support people who experience cyclical symptoms, without unintentionally pathologizing the menstrual cycle or stigmatizing an entire gender.

scholarly journals Tracking Stress, Mental Health, and Resilience Factors in Medical Students Before, During, and After a Stress-Inducing Exam Period: Protocol and Proof-of-Principle Analyses for the RESIST Cohort Study

10.2196/20128 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. e20128
Author(s):  
Jessica Fritz ◽  
Jan Stochl ◽  
Rogier A Kievit ◽  
Anne-Laura van Harmelen ◽  
Paul O Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Mental Distress ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Exam Stress ◽  
Resilience Factors

Background Knowledge of mental distress and resilience factors over the time span from before to after a stressor is important to be able to leverage the most promising resilience factors and promote mental health at the right time. To shed light on this topic, we designed the RESIST (Resilience Study) study, in which we assessed medical students before, during, and after their yearly exam period. Exam time is generally a period of notable stress among medical students, and it has been suggested that exam time triggers mental distress. Objective In this paper, we aim to describe the study protocol and to examine whether the exam period indeed induces higher perceived stress and mental distress. We also aim to explore whether perceived stress and mental distress coevolve in response to exams. Methods RESIST is a cohort study in which exam stress functions as a within-subject natural stress manipulation. In this paper, we outline the sample (N=451), procedure, assessed measures (including demographics, perceived stress, mental distress, 13 resilience factors, and adversity), and ethical considerations. Moreover, we conducted a series of latent growth models and bivariate latent change score models to analyze perceived stress and mental distress changes over the 3 time points. Results We found that perceived stress and mental distress increased from the time before the exams to the exam period and decreased after the exams to a lower level than before the exams. Our findings further suggest that higher mental distress before exams increased the risk of developing more perceived stress during exams. Higher perceived stress during exams, in turn, increased the risk of experiencing a less successful (or quick) recovery of mental distress after exams. Conclusions As expected, the exam period caused a temporary increase in perceived stress and mental distress. Therefore, the RESIST study lends itself well to exploring resilience factors in response to naturally occurring exam stress. Such knowledge will eventually help researchers to find out which resilience factors lend themselves best as prevention targets and which lend themselves best as treatment targets for the mitigation of mental health problems that are triggered or accelerated by natural exam stress. The findings from the RESIST study may therefore inform student support services, mental health services, and resilience theory.

scholarly journals Perceived Stress and Dietary Behavior of Adolescent Girls

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 554-554
Author(s):  
Priyanka Pareek ◽  
Mehta Neha
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Eating Behaviour ◽  
Dietary Behavior ◽  
Junior College ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Mild Stress ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
Moderate Stress

Abstract Objectives The study was designed to examine the relationship between stress and dietary behavior of female students (15–18 years). Methods A total of 300 adolescent girls (15–18 yrs.) were selected from Junior college, Hyderabad. A structured questionnaire had been used to collect the general profile of the adolescent girls. Height and weight of the subjects were measured by standardized methods. The food frequency questionnaire and 24 hour recall (3 days) has also been taken. Cohen's perceived stress scale was used to assess the stress levels among the adolescent girls. Results Over half of the students were found some level of stress, 13% were suffering from severe stress levels, 30.0% had moderate stress and another 15.6% had mild stress. Students who have experienced severe to moderate levels of stress were more likely to eat cereal products (P < 0.05), fried items and the highly processed food items (P < 0.05). The mean intake of fruits and vegetables was significantly low (P < 0.05) among the students having severe and moderate stress. The carbohydrate and fat intake was found significantly (P < 0.05) higher among the severe and moderately stressed students. Conclusions These results show a clear difference in food selection patterns between stressed and non-stressed female students with stress being a more significant predictor of unhealthy food selection. Further research is needed using a qualitative approach to understand how stress and eating behaviour are related among adolescent students. Funding Sources It's a cross sectional study, no funds received from any organizations or institute.

Prevalência da Síndrome Pré-menstrual e seus Principais Sintomas Observados em Acadêmicas do Curso de Medicina de uma Faculdade do Sul de Minas Gerais/Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome and its Main Symptoms Observed in Students of a Medical School Cours

1970 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-59
Author(s):  
Miguel da Silva Diniz ◽  
Andreza Cristina Souza Lima ◽  
Hildebrando Pereira ◽  
Gislene Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Premenstrual Symptoms ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
De Medicina

Objetivos: Avaliar a presença da síndrome pré-menstrual (SPM) e sua intensidade, bem como os principais sintomas relacionados em acadêmicas do curso de medicina da Faculdade de Medicina de Itajubá. Materiais e Métodos: Foi realizado um inquérito com mulheres que ingressaram no curso entre os anos de 2005 a 2011, através de um questionário em que as acadêmicas eram classificadas de acordo com a intensidade dos sintomas de SPM e agrupadas em um tipo de sintoma principal. Resultados e Discussão: A ocorrência da SPM foi observada em 100% das acadêmicas entrevistadas em todos os anos, independentemente da série, ou seja, todas as acadêmicas apresentaram algum sintoma, mesmo que leve, da SPM.  No entanto, o 2° ano letivo foi o que teve a maior média de sintomas (média de 41,7 pontos) da SPM, e o 6°, a menor (média de 36,1). Quanto às características de sintomas das acadêmicas, as manifestações mais citadas foram a irritabilidade e compulsividade. Conclusão: A alta prevalência da SPM foi observada em todos os anos entrevistados, indo de encontro com a literatura, que indica a presença da síndrome em mulheres de todo o mundo, tornando necessária a existência de estudos que facilitem o diagnostico precoce com seu respectivo tratamento mais adequado, reduzindo seus efeitos no cotidiano das mulheres.   Palavras-chave: Síndrome pré-menstrual, ciclo menstrual, sintomas pré-menstruais. ABSTRACTObjectives: To evaluate the presence of Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its intensity, as well as major academic-related symptoms in the course of medicine at Medical College of Itajubá. Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted with women who entered the course between the years 2005 to 2011, through a questionnaire the students were classified according to the intensity of the symptoms of PMS and grouped into one type of symptom page. Results and Discussion: The occurrence of PMS was observed in 100% of academic respondents in every year, regardless of the series, all academic exhibited some symptoms, even mild PMS. However, the 2nd year was academic year that had the highest average number of symptoms (mean 41,7 points) of PMS, and the sixth year, the lowest (average 36,1). Regarding the characteristics of academic symptoms, the most mentioned manifestations were the irritability and compulsiveness. Conclusion: A high prevalence of PMS was observed in all the years surveyed, in agreement with the literature, which indicates the presence of the syndrome in women worldwide, showing the need of studies that facilitate early diagnosis with their respective more appropriate treatment, reducing its effects on the daily lives of women. Keywords: Premenstrual syndrome, menstrual cycle, premenstrual symptoms. 

scholarly journals Prevalence of menstrual morbidity in adolescents girls: a cross sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 863
Author(s):  
Kanmani Karthikkeyan ◽  
Nirmala N. ◽  
Thirumalai Kolundhu Subramanian P. ◽  
Charumathi V. ◽  
Dharani B.
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Age At Menarche ◽  
Emotional Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Menstrual Dysfunction ◽  
Madras Medical College

Background: Menstruation is said to be a physiological process in women. The word ‘menstruation’ was derived from a Latin word ‘menses’. Menstrual dysfunction was found to affect 75% of adolescent girls which includes dysmenorrhoea, menorrhagia and irregular cycles. Premenstrual syndrome constitutes a group of physical and emotional symptoms which occurs one week before menstrual cycle. It was found to be a cycle disorder which appears in the luteal phase. Adolescent girls are at high risk of developing premenstrual syndrome. Because of menstrual dysfunction and premenstrual syndrome, the adolescent girls are at high risk of menstrual morbidity.Methods: After getting approval from institutional ethical committee of Madras Medical College, the study was carried out in adolescent girls. The study was carried out by giving questionnaire in nearly 505 students for the duration of 6 months. The study participants were explained about the study. The questionnaire was structured so as to obtain information regarding the age at menarche, duration of cycle, awareness about menstruation, source of information regarding menstruation, practices during menstrual cycles, regarding menstrual problems and treatment practices.Results: The average age of participants was 17 years with an SD of 1.5. of 505 participants, about 6% had 45 days frequency, 10% had 38 days frequency and 2% had 60 days frequency of menstrual cycle. It was found around 1% had 8 days duration and 3% had 9 days duration of menstrual cycle. About 13% of Participants had mild flow, 7% had severe flow and 20% had variable quantity of menstrual flow.Conclusions: From this study, it was found that menstrual dysfunction were prevalent among adolescent girls. These were found to cause menstrual morbidity among adolescent girls. Hence it is necessary to educate and create awareness about menstrual morbidity among adolescent girls. 

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