Revista de Enfermagem e Cuidados

Relationships Among Health Locus of Control, Coping Methods, and Dysmenorrhea of Korean Adolescence in Middle School

Abstract

Nam Hyun Cha and Sohyune R Sok

Background: Recently, sexual issues in youth have become more severe, and sexual education is given to youth almost forcefully and involuntarily. Then, it is necessary to help the youth cultivate accurate information on their own menstruation as the most basic health knowledge.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the correlations and degrees of health locus of control, coping methods, and dysmenorrhea; and the factors influencing the dysmenorrhea of Korean adolescence in middle school.

Design: This was a cross-sectional descriptive design.

Participants: Subjects were 572 female students in middle schools in Seoul, South Korea.

Measurements and findings: Measures were a demographic form, revised MDQ (Menstrual distress Questionnaire), questionnaire for coping methods of dysmenorrhea, and scale for health locus of control. The mean of dysmenorrhea was 77.71 scores indicating lower dysmenorrhea. Physical psychological control in the coping methods of dysmenorrhrea was effectively the most using as the highest score (27.20). Internal health locus of control was the most as 79.2%. The analyses showed that the prediction model was significant (F=20.457, p<.001). The value of the adjusted R2 was 0.235, which corresponds to the explanatory power of 23.5%. The factor found to have the most influence on the dysmenorrhea of Korean adolescence in middle school were the negative coping (β=0.369), followed by chance health locus of control (β=0.244), conversion in coping method (β=-0.159), dependence health locus of control (β=-0.100), posture therapy in coping method (β=0.091).

Conclusions/Implications for practice: Nursing intervention programs should be explored to reduce their negative coping, to apply conversion and posture therapy in coping methods.