Survey study, 2025
Are mental health problems linked to period pain and lack of support?
Yes. About 29% of girls experienced anxiety, 14% stress, and 32% depression. Those with moderate or severe period pain or without support during menstruation were more likely to experience these mental health problems.
What they did
Researchers asked 270 school girls in Nepal about their menstruation experiences and mental health using a questionnaire. They looked at which factors were linked with anxiety, stress, and depression.
What they found
Of 270 girls, 28.9% had anxiety, 14.4% had stress, and 32.2% had depression. Girls with moderate or severe period pain were more likely to have anxiety, stress, and depression. Girls without family support or friend support during their period were also more likely to have these problems.
What it means for you
Supporting girls during menstruation and managing period pain may help reduce mental health problems. The main limit is this study was only in Nepal and only captured a single point in time, so we cannot tell if one caused the other.
270
girls studied
28.9%
had anxiety
32.2%
had depression
About the study
- Original title
- Menstruation experiences and its association with psychological distress among school-going adolescent girls of Nepal: A cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Niroula S, Paudel S, Chalise A et al.
- Journal
- The British journal of developmental psychology
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 270
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12531
Topics
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