Assessment of pre menstrual emotional state among university students.

The belief that a large proportion of women experience premenstrual emotional changes has gained wide endorsement both in research literature and the media and suggestions for treatment of this problem have proliferated. This view, however, has recently been challenged by a number of studies which have found that for most women emotional changes during the premenstrual phase was inconsistent and required further investigations. The aim of the study is to examine the premenstrual emotional state among university students. The sample consisted of 90 volunteer female students at the premenstrual phase (1-6 days before expected date of menstruation). The students are from the College of Applied Medical Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The tools used for data collection are: demographic data sheet; “D” scale for depression, it is derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personally Inventory (MMPI) and standardization on the Saudi culture; and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, it is developed by Spielberger and others, and standardized and used in researches in the Saudi culture. The results show that university students have an average depression mean scores at the premenstrual phase. As regards students’ mean score on both state anxiety and trait-anxiety, they are near to each other, and state anxiety is slightly less. This means that the respondents were not under tension during the time of the study, i.e., premenstrual phase. The only factor which was found to have a significant difference on students’ depression and trait anxiety was their residency. Students who live in the students’ hostel have more depression and trait anxiety mean scores compared to those living with their families.College of Applied Medical Sciences & College of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabi