Relationships between menstruation-related conditions and personality among married rural women in child-bearing age

Objective To study menstruation-related conditions among matried rural women in child-bearing age in rural Anhui and to explore their relationships with personality.Methods A total of 1 398 married women under 49 were drawn from three counties in A nhui province using convenience cluster sampling.The concise IPIP-NEO inventory tailed to local culture via rounds of field piloting and structured questions on menstruation-related conditions were used in collecting data.The quest ionnaire was administered by trained interviewers at the responders' households.1 221 completed question naire were collected.The data were analyzed via SPSS software using descriptive and linear correlation analysis.Results The abnormality of menstrual cycle and duration of menstrual period were both positively related with neuroticism,while negatively related with extraversion.The abnormality of menstrual volume was positively related with neuroticism.The respondents' dysmenor rheal symptoms,premenstrual physical symptoms,the score of premenstrual anxiety and pr emenstrual depression were both positively linked to neuroticism(r=0.135,0 107,0.270 and 0.293,P<0.01)and openness to experience(r= 0.167,0.169,0.194 and 0.216,P<0.01).The score of premenstrual depression was negatively related with agreeableness and conscientiousness(r=-0.059 and -0.061,P<0.05).Conclusion Personality is closely linked to menstruation-re lated conditions.This provides new clues for behavior intervention and merits further exploration.