Startseite Dysmenorrhea in Tunisian high school adolescent girls: frequency, effects, and absence from school
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Dysmenorrhea in Tunisian high school adolescent girls: frequency, effects, and absence from school

  • Badra Bannour ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Nour Rouis , Rania Bannour , Chourouk Alouane , Souhir Saadouli und Imen Bannour
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 22. April 2024

Abstract

Objectives

Dysmenorrhea is a known phenomenon and not just recently, and investigations conducted recently have shown that female adolescents are very susceptible to this condition. Our goal is to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea in Tunisia, its risk factors, its impact on truancy rates, and the therapeutic attitudes of girls attending high school about this illness using an epidemiological survey.

Methods

This eight-month study, which spans from October 2022 to May 2023, focuses on 160 high school girls between the ages of 13 and 21. It is a transversal descriptive study. The required data is gathered through the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire.

Results

The mean age of female adolescent participants is 16.44 years and 68 % of them reported dysmenorrhea. The most common symptoms of the pain were headaches (40.0 %). There is a notable prevalence of absenteeism during the menstrual cycle. There seems to be a trend toward self-medication.

Conclusions

In Tunisia, primary dysmenorrhea is a common cause of school absenteeism among female adolescents. Girls’ attitudes toward dysmenorrhea indicate a lack of knowledge, which is why it is crucial for midwives and physicians to educate teenage girls about the condition.


Corresponding author: Badra Bannour, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, University Hospital Farhat Hached of Sousse, Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, University of Sousse, Sousse, Tunisia, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: Attachment.

  2. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  3. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None.

  6. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-02-21
Accepted: 2024-04-04
Published Online: 2024-04-22

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Heruntergeladen am 22.9.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/ijamh-2024-0025/html
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