Objective To assess the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual patterns and mental health of medical students and to explore the students’ perspective regarding this effect. Materials and methods This mixed-method study was conducted on the medical and dental students of the private and public sector institutions of Peshawar from September 2021 to March 2022. A Menstrual symptom questionnaire (MSQ) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were used. This was followed by qualitative interviews with the students who faced problems in their menstruation after the COVID-19 vaccination. Results A total of 953 students were included, with a mean age of 20.67±1. 56 years. More than half (n = 512, 53.7%) experienced menstrual cycle abnormalities post-vaccination. The majority having disturbances in their menstrual cycle had significantly higher levels of anxiety (p = 0.000). Results on the menstrual symptom questionnaire, anxiety, and depression subtype of HADS showed a negative and statistically significant relationship with changes after COVID-19 vaccination (p<0.05). In the qualitative interviews, 10 (58.8%) students each had problems with frequency and flow, followed by 7 (41.2%) students, who had dysmenorrhea. Seven (41.2%) consulted a gynecologist for management. The majority (n = 14, 82.4%) stated that these issues had an adverse impact on their mental health and almost half (n = 8, 47.1%) suggested consulting a gynecologist while facing such situations. Conclusion This study showed the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on women`s menstrual patterns and subsequent mental health status. Although the majority of the students experienced menstrual cycle abnormalities and subsequent mental health adversities post COVID-19 vaccination but these were temporary and self-limiting and were attributed to the psychological impact of the vaccination. Therefore, it is imperative to alert health care professionals about possible side effects and prior counseling is expected to play an important role in this context.
Background: Cross-cultural adaptation and validation are important for the reliable use of a scale. This study was conducted to translate and validate the polycystic ovarian syndrome quality of life scale (PCOSQOL) in Pashto. Methods: This study was conducted in tertiary care teaching hospitals of Peshawar from August to December 2021 on 333 patients diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Using forward-backward method, three bilingual experts translated PCOSQOL from English to Pashto. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach alpha reliability and construct validity of PCOSQOL (Pashto version) was found out using SPSS version 25 and AMOS version 26 for data analysis. Results: The mean age of the sample was 25.73±5.89 years. Majority were married (n=260, 78.1%), uneducated (n=180, 54.1%) and unemployed (n=303, 91%). Factorial validity of the Pashto version showed it to be a five-factor model. Regarding construct validity, the factor loading through Item total correlation scores revealed highly satisfactory correlation coefficients. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability of the Pashto version of PCOSQOL was 0.918. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated a good fit model with a CFI of 0.91 and a RMSEA value of .08. Poor quality of life (89.98±28.5) was reported in 169 (50.8%) women and this was irrespective of their educational and occupational background (p>0.05) respectively. Pearson coefficient correlation test showed a significantly positive Inter-scale correlation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Pashto version of PCOSQOL is a reliable instrument to measure the quality of life in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome and can be used in Pashto speaking patients.
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