Survey study, 1977
What do college women think and expect about how menstruation affects them?
College women generally see menstruation as normal and not very disruptive. They have complex beliefs about menstruation, with different expectations for how it affects physical symptoms versus mood.
What they did
College women completed the Moos Menstrual Distress Questionnaire twice, once imagining they were premenstrual and once imagining they were between periods. They also completed questions about their attitudes toward menstruation.
What they found
Women accepted menstruation as routine and did not see it as overly disruptive. Their beliefs about menstruation were complex, involving different views of physical symptoms versus psychological symptoms.
What it means for you
College women's beliefs about menstruation vary depending on whether symptoms are physical or psychological. This is a snapshot of attitudes only and does not measure actual symptoms or whether expectations match reality.
About the study
- Original title
- College women's attitudes and expectations concerning menstrual-related changes
- Authors
- Brooks J, Ruble D, Clark A
- Journal
- Psychosomatic medicine
- Year
- 1977
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- none (survey)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00006842-197709000-00002
Topics
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