Menstrual symptoms and clinical performance among student nurses at a Private University

Abstract

Menstrual disorders are significant health concerns among university students, severely impacting their overall performance. The menstrual cycle involves numerous psychological changes, including irritation, mood swings, despair, and anxiety, brought on by the menstrual cycle. The study aimed to determine the relationship between menstrual symptoms and clinical performance among levels 2, 3, and 4 selected female student nurses at a private university in Iloilo City, Philippines. Data were gathered from 249 student nurses from a private university in Iloilo City, Philippines, through stratified random sampling. Respondents were given a researcher-developed questionnaire consisting of three parts: respondents’ college level and their clinical performance in related learning experience in terms of grade weighted average during the first semester of the academic year 2022 - 2023, symptoms experienced, and perceived severity of symptoms experienced during their menstrual period. This study utilized Cronbach’s alpha to measure the internal consistency or reliability of the instrument and Spearman’s rho coefficient to determine the relationship between menstrual symptoms and academic performance variables. The majority (47.5%%) of the respondents have indicated that these menstrual symptoms averagely affect their clinical performance, and 32.1% of the respondents revealed an above-average severity during the S.Y. 2022-2023. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between menstrual symptoms and the clinical performance of the levels two, three, and four student nurses (p=.01).