Iran Journal of Nursing

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Hannani S, Ghanbary Nekoo N, Nasiri Ziba F, Hosseini A. The Prevalence of Premenstrual Syndrome and Its Influential Factors in Operating Room Technologists. IJN 2019; 32 (118) :67-77
URL: http://ijn.iums.ac.ir/article-1-2910-en.html

Background & Aims: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common disorder of the reproductive age, which occurs periodically in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and has various physical, behavioral, and psychological symptoms, such as bloating, acne, back pain, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. These symptoms decrease by the end of menstruation and disappear to some extent. In addition, the symptoms vary in different individuals, while they commonly manifest in menstrual cycles and may adversely affect familial and professional relations, productivity, and social activities. PMS symptoms may also reduce job efficiency in various professional groups and increase absenteeism, thereby leading to significant economic losses. Due to the effects of PMS on the performance of individuals in the workplace, as well as the challenging duties of female operating room technologists and frequent stressful situations in their work environment, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of PMS and its influential factors in operating room technologists.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 112 operating room technologists employed in the teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences during 2016-2017. Due to the limited sample population, the participants were selected via census sampling. Data were collected using three questionnaires, including a demographic questionnaire (validity confirmed by several professors of Iran University of Medical Sciences) and the premenstrual symptom screening questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha of 0.9, content validity ratio and content validity index of 0.7 and 0.8, respectively by Siah Bazi [2011]). The latter consisted of 19 items and two sections; the first sections contains 14 indicators of mood and physical/behavioral symptoms, and the second section measures the impact of these symptoms on the life of the respondents with five items. Another data collection tool was the occupational stress questionnaire by Kahn. Rasouli (2005) obtained the reliability of this scale at the Cronbach's alpha of 0.79, and the content validity was also confirmed based on the opinions of supervisors and consultants. In our study, the reliability of this tool was confirmed by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient on 20 operating room technologists outside the research environment. Based on the obtained coefficient (R=0.75), the reliability of the tool was confirmed. In addition, the content validity was assessed and confirmed by 10 professors of the medical universities in Tehran. This questionnaire has 15 items, which are scored based on a five-point Likert scale. Scores of 15-30 indicate low occupational stress, scores of 30-45 show moderate occupational stress, scores of >45 show high occupational stress. After obtaining the required permit from the Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences, receiving a letter of introduction, obtaining the permission of the research units (teaching hospitals of Iran University of Medical Sciences), and receiving informed consent from the participants, the questionnaires were distributed among the selected operating room technologists. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 23 using descriptive statistics (frequency distribution table, central indices, and dispersion) and inferential statistics (Fisher's exact test, Chi-square).
Results: In total, 57.1% of the technologists had moderate-to-severe PMS, and 42.9% were not diagnosed with PMS or had mild PMS. No significant correlations were observed between age, body mass index, education level, physical exercise, and regular exercise with PMS. The highest prevalence of PMS was observed in the technologists aged less than 25 years, overweight subjects, and those without exercise/irregular exercise. However, significant correlations were denoted between PMS and the type of physical exercise (endurance/resistance), so that the prevalence of PMS was lower in the technologists with endurance training compared to those with resistance training or both (P=0.027). In addition, a significant association was observed between PMS and occupational stress, so that increased occupational stress would increase the incidence of the syndrome (P=0.005).
Coclusion: According to the results, PMS had a comparatively lower prevalence in the technologists with less occupational stress and those with physical exercise (especially endurance training). Given the importance of health, occupational quality, and the key role of technologists in the operating  team, it is recommended that proper training classes and group counseling be provided to reduce occupational stress and increase the accuracy, skills, and knowledge of task performing. Furthermore, technologists should be encouraged to exercise regularly as it plays a pivotal role in reducing the incidence or severity of PMS symptoms. With the reduction of the PMS symptoms in the technologists, the provision of services and medical care to patients could also enhance.