BioScience Trends. 2010;4(1):4-8.

A study of the relationship between mental health and menstrual abnormalities in female middle school students from postearthquake Wenchuan.

Liu XX, Yang YF, Yuan P, Zhang X, Han Y, Cao Y, Xiong GY

The present field investigation sought to explore the relationship between mental health and abnormal menstruation in female middle school students from post-earthquake Wenchuan following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake (the earthquake's epicenter was in Wenchuan Couty, Sichuan Province). A total of 587 female middle students from post-earthquake Wenchuan were given the PCL-C, SCL-90, and a menstruation questionnaire. Outcomes were measured by diagnostic criteria. The general incidence of PTSD was 60.8%, and D symptoms were the most prevalent PTSD symptoms (49.6%). Of symptoms indicated by the Symptom Checklist, obsessive-compulsive traits were most prevalent (94.6%), followed by interpersonal sensitivity (91.9%). The incidence of abnormal menstruation was 76.6%. Incidence of abnormal menses among students who screened positive for PTSD was significantly higher than among students who did not (χ2 = 4.015, p = 0.045). The incidence of abnormal menses was higher among students who screened positive for somatization, obsessive-compulsive traits, phobic anxiety, and diet and sleep disorders than among those who did not (p < 0.05). In conclusion, there was a relationship between mental health and physical health in female middle school students in a post-earthquake area. A higher incidence of abnormal menstruation may occur in students with PTSD, somatization disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobic anxiety, and diet and sleep disorders. Therefore, psychological intervention is particularly necessary for female students who have survived a natural disaster like an earthquake.

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