Socio-Cultural and Religious Influences During Menstruation Among University Students

BackgroundAlthough menstruation is a physiological process it is shrouded with layers of religious and socio-cultural beliefs. The extent to which these socio-cultural and religious beliefs may impact the quality of life of a female university student in our Asian setting has yet to be explored.MethodsThis study was divided into 3 stages. In the first stage 1, a preliminary list of items measuring socio-cultural and religious beliefs during menstruation was generated. In the second stage, exploratory factor analysis was performed using the preliminary list generated. In the third stage, confirmatory factor analysis using reflective measurement model and structural modelling was performed using partial least squares. Practices of these beliefs were included in structural modelling as beliefs without practices may not affect quality of life. Biological symptoms of menstruation were added in as well as another factor that may affect quality of life.ResultsA preliminary list of 22 items was generated based on personal interviews and input from female lecturers. In the second stage, the exploratory factor analysis identified six factors with eigenvalue>1. From the confirmatory factor analysis in third stage, two factors were iteratively removed due to poor factor loadings. The four factors retained were: i) “religious beliefs”; ii) “unpleasant (or dirty) nature of menstruation”; iii) “personal restrictions (dietary and behavior)”; and iv) “restrictions of interactions with male gender”. In structural equation modelling, only 2 factors, i.e., personal restrictions (dietary and behavioral)” (path coefficient 0.74, t-statistics 18.18) and restriction of interactions with males (path coefficient 0.12, t-statistis 3.00) have significant effect on the practices of menstruation beliefs. Biological symptoms (path coefficient -0.34; t-statistics 7.29) and practices of these socio-cultural and religious beliefs (path coefficient -0.17; t-statistics 3.67) in turn, have significant negative effect on quality of life.ConclusionAlthough four factors of socio-cultural and religious beliefs have been identified in this study, only beliefs related to personal dietary and behavioral restrictions and beliefs on restrictions of social interactions with the male gender are significantly practiced, of which, negatively impact quality of life.