Study, 2024
Is there a link between how open women are to different cultures and how severe their PMS symptoms are?
Yes. Nursing students who were less comfortable with people from different cultures had worse PMS symptoms including anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and bloating.
What they did
437 nursing students (average age 20.8 years) were surveyed over three months (June to August 2021). They answered questions about their comfort with different cultures and their PMS symptoms using standard measurement tools.
What they found
8 out of 10 students (82.2%) felt they had PMS. About 1 in 2 students (47.6%) used traditional methods to manage PMS. As students' comfort with different cultures dropped, their anxiety, depressive thoughts, sleep problems, bloating, and appetite changes got worse.
What it means for you
This found a connection between cultural attitudes and PMS symptoms - less openness to other cultures linked to worse symptoms. However, we can't prove cultural attitudes cause worse PMS; they might just occur together. The study was at one nursing school, so findings may not apply to all women. It was a one-time survey, making it hard to say which came first.
437
nursing students
82.2%
perceived they had PMS
47.6%
used traditional methods
About the study
- Original title
- Hemşirelik Öğrencilerinde Premenstrual Sendrom Yaşama Durumuna Kültürel Duyarlılık ve Farklılıkların Etkisi
- Authors
- Merlinda Aluş Tokat, Hülya Özberk, Efsun Derin et al.
- Journal
- STED / Sürekli Tıp Eğitimi Dergisi
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- No intervention - survey study comparing groups with different cultural attitudes
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.17942/sted.1402042