The purpose of this study is to examine levels of symptoms and coping with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in elementary and secondary school female teachers and to investigate impacts of symptoms and coping of PMS on quality of life.
With correlational study design, a sample of 140 female teachers were obtained from 5 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, and 5 high schools in C province, from March 14 to 22, 2017. Three measurement tools were used in this study: 1) Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms Questionnaire, translated by Jung (1999) from Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ) by Moos (1968), 2) Premenstrual Syndrome Coping Questionnaire, also modified by Jung (1999) based on Premenstrual Syndrome Coping Questionnaire by Billing & Moos (1981), and 3) Korean health related Quality of Life Scale (KoQoLS), developed by Kim (2000). Data were collected through structured questionnaires, using a questionnaire method. The data were analyzed with frequency, descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson Correlation coefficients, and hierachical multiple regression analysis using SPSS WIN 22.0.
The higher quality of life was shown when the PMS symptoms were less, the sleeping quality was better, the job stress level was lower, the life stress level was lower, the level of disturbance in teachers work by PMS was lower, and the teachers coped better with the PMS symptoms. These variables showed explanatory power of 53% on the quality of life. For better quality of female teachers’s life, health care programs for managing the PMS symptoms need to be developed, taking the variables above into account.
Suggestions for health education practice and further research are as follows:
For health education practice, health teachers need to distribute health care educational materials to female teachers and provide small-group health counselling services for PMS self care. These health education is expected to improve the quality of female teachers’s life and have a positive effect on relationship between female teachers and their students. For further research, development of educational programs for effective coping and management of PMS symptoms and research on outcome evaluations would be necessary.