Survey study, 2020
How common is PMDD among female health science students in Ethiopia, and what is linked to it?
About 1 in 3 students in this study had PMDD. It was more common among those with severe period pain, with high stress, and those who felt their period pain hurt their studies.
What they did
386 female medical and health science students at a university in Ethiopia answered a self-administered questionnaire. PMDD was assessed using DSM-5 criteria, and stress and social support were measured with standard scales. Statistical models were used to find factors linked to PMDD.
What they found
34.7% (95% CI 30.3 to 39.1) of students had PMDD. PMDD was significantly more likely in students with severe menstrual pain (adjusted odds ratio 2.82, 95% CI 1.83 to 4.23), those who felt menstrual pain affected their academic performance (AOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.23 to 4.32), and those with high perceived stress (AOR 3.52, 95% CI 2.58 to 5.60).
What it means for you
PMDD appears common in this student population and is strongly tied to pain severity and stress, suggesting screening and support could help, especially for students with severe period pain or high stress. This is a one-time snapshot study in one Ethiopian university, so it cannot prove what causes what, and results may not apply elsewhere.
34.7%
PMDD prevalence
2.82
Odds ratio for severe menstrual pain
3.52
Odds ratio for high perceived stress
About the study
- Original title
- Magnitude of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and its correlation with academic performance among female medical and health science students at University of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2019: a cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Minichil W, Eskindir E, Demilew D et al.
- Journal
- BMJ open
- Year
- 2020
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 386
- What was tested
- None (observational, cross-sectional survey).
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034166
Topics
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