The purpose of this study is to investigate the stress and coping level as a result of dysmenorrhea which was experienced by girls. For the collection of data, the girls from the 1st to the 3rd grade in middle school in Seoul were selected through a random sampling technique. The survey was conducted from the 1st to the 14th of June, 1991 by the use of questionnaires made after a pilot study. The final subjects for analysis were restricted to only those who had experienced menarche, the number of which totaled 1,131. The stress, coping level, and other variables, were tested and analysed by descriptive statistics (eg, frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation), t-test, ANOVA and Pearson´s correlation coefficients. The obtained results are summarized as follows.
1. The chronological start for menarche was at a mean age of 13.1 The respondents who had experienced menarche numbered 70.9% of the 1st grades and 96.2% of the 2nd grades in middle school, otherwise the starting age for menarche was in the 4th grade in primary school.
2. Their menstrual cycle and period were longer than adult´s one. The number of students studied who had experienced dysmenorrhea during their menstrual cycle were 860, and 650 of those revealed that their mothers or sisters had experienced similar problems.
3. The subjects who were late or head left, early rather than being absent from school every menstruation cycle were more stressful. The results are thought to show that the girl´s perception of dysmenorrhea seems to be more sensitive than adult´s one.
4. A significant negative correlation was found between the perception of menstrual flow and stress level. It means that an increase in the stress of dysmenorrhea was associated with decreased menstrual bleeding. The degree of hypochondrical concern assessed by the girls was significantly correlated to stress and coping level. When the girls perceived high stress as a result of dysmenorrhea, they worried about their physical health more.
The above results lead us to the suggestion that the starting point of early education with a school program is appropriate for the 4th grade in primary school. Especially if the girls in middle school should be required to give the information about correct knowledge and sufficient self-care management of menstruation monthly, if this could be implemented the loss in school days among the students due to dysmenorrhea would be minimized with more ease.
|