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. 2021 Aug 27:14:2373-2379.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S327893. eCollection 2021.

Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Impact on the Quality of Life of Female Medical Students at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia

Abdullah M Al-Shahrani  1 , Elhadi Miskeen  2 , Farah Shroff  3 , Suaad Elnour  2 , Rawan Algahtani  4 , Ilham Youssry  5 , Samar Ahmed  6
Affiliations

Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Impact on the Quality of Life of Female Medical Students at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia

Abdullah M Al-Shahrani et al. J Multidiscip Healthc. .

Abstract

Objective: The severity and chronicity of PMS can lead to the impairment of studies, and it can also affect relationships, activities, quality of life (QoL), and academic performance. This study aimed to determine PMS frequency and its associated factors in order to assess the quality of life (QoL) among female medical students at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This study was cross-sectional and included 388 female medical students in the Faculty of Medical Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine at Bisha University. The participants all filled in a self-administered questionnaire. The Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PSS) was used based on the diagnostic and statistical criteria for PMS assessment. PMS was diagnosed after the presence of five or more severe premenstrual symptoms had been resolved following menstruation (adapted from American Psychiatric Association).

Data analysis: The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. A chi-square test was used to test the associations between the study variables. A logistic regression analysis technique was used to select the group of variables. Participants were asked to provide consent to participate in the study. IRB was obtained from the University of Bisha, College of Medicine.

Results: The participants were aged 19.5 ± 4.9 years, and the prevalence of PMS was 64.9%. Most of the female students were of extroverted personality types (35%). In addition, 13.4% were obese or overweight, and 19.5% of the 50% with PMS exercised regularly (p < 0.05). Menstruation significantly influenced the related quality of life subscales (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: PMS significantly influenced daily activities related to quality of life and homework. Moreover, almost half of the female students experienced the effects of menstruation in their learning environment. Therefore, among female students, the modification of risk factors should be considered a critical intervention point.

Keywords: PMS; Saudi Arabia; University of Bisha; medical students; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Learning-related QoL subscales by percentage among the study population. Evaluation of PMS and QoL among students of medical applied sciences and medicine at Bisha University, Saudi Arabia (n = 388).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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