The Relationship Between Stress Levels and Menstrual Cycles Among Pre- Clinical Students of the Faculty of Medicine, Alkhairaat University Palu

Keywords: Stress, Menstrual Cycle, DASS 42

Menstruation is a physiological and periodic discharge of blood and

mucous tissue from the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual

cycle is defined as the period from the first day of menstruation to

the start of the next cycle. Stress is one of the factors that can affect

the menstrual cycle. Irregular menstrual cycles can impact both

current and future conditions, indirectly influencing students’

academic performance. According to RISKESDAS 2018, 13.7% of

women experienced irregular menstrual cycles in the previous year.

This study aims to examine the relationship between stress levels

and the menstrual cycle in pre-clinical medical students at

Alkhairaat University, Palu. This is a quantitative analytical

observational study using a cross-sectional approach. Data were

collected via interviews using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale

(DASS) 42 questionnaire. The sampling technique was total

sampling with 118 respondents from the 2020, 2021, and 2022

cohorts who met the criteria. Results: 55 respondents (46.6%) had

normal stress levels, while 63 (54.4%) experienced stress.

Regarding menstrual cycles, 60 students (50.8%) had normal

cycles. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significant relationship

between stress levels and menstrual cycles (p = .000 or p < 0.05),

indicating that higher stress levels increase the risk of

oligomenorrhea.