Mental and Reproductive Health Correlates of Academic Performance among Debre Berhan University Female Students, Ethiopia: The Case of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

BACKGROUND Globally 3 to 8% of reproductive age women are suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Several mental and reproductive health-related factors cause low academic achievement during university education. However, limited data exist in Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to investigate mental and reproductive health correlates of academic performance. METHODS Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted with 667 Debre Berhan University female students from April to June 2015. Academic performance was the outcome variable. Mental and reproductive health characteristics were explanatory variables. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test of association was applied to examine group difference in academic performance. RESULT Among 529 students who participated, 49.3% reported mild premenstrual syndrome (PMS), 36.9% reported moderate/severe PMS, and 13.8% fulfilled PMDD diagnostic criteria. The ANOVA test of association revealed that there was no significant difference in academic performance between students with different level of PMS experience (F-statistic = 0.08, p value = 0.93). Nevertheless, there was a significant difference in academic performance between students with different length of menses (F-statistic = 5.15, p value = 0.006). CONCLUSION There was no significant association between PMS experience and academic performance, but on the other hand, the length of menses significantly associated with academic performance.