INFLUENCE OF DYSMENORRHEA ON LECTURE ATTENDANCE AND CLINICAL POSTING AMONG 300-LEVEL FEMALE NURSING STUDENTS IN BENSON IDAHOSA UNIVERSITY, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE.

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological condition affecting women of reproductive age that is known to cause great discomfort and can adversely affect daily activities, including academic performance. This study examined the influence of dysmenorrhea on lecture attendance and clinical postings among 300-level female nursing students of Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo State. A descriptive cross-sectional design involving 105 respondents selected through simple random sampling was used for the study. Data were collected using a wellstructured questionnaire and analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings, while Pearson’s correlation was used to test the hypothesis at a significance level of p < 0.05. The study showed that most of the respondents (96.2%) experienced menstrual pain, 48.6% reported moderate pain and 27.6% said the pain was severe. The findings also showed that dysmenorrhea affected students’ academic activities. About 77.2% missed lectures and 74.3% missed clinical postings. Over 80% reported that they found it difficult to pay attention during classes and when performing clinical duties. The correlation analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between dysmenorrhea and students’ lecture attendance, as well as clinical postings (r = 0.458, p < 0.001). For the management of pain, some respondents used drugs such as ibuprofen (30.5%) and paracetamol (23.8%), while others used hot water therapy (11.4%). Even with these, 72.4% had never sought medical consultation. Based on these results, the study concludes that dysmenorrhea affects lecture attendance, concentration, and participation in clinical posting among female nursing students. It therefore recommends that nursing educators, clinical instructors, and university health services develop supportive, menstrual friendly policies such as flexible schedules, health counseling, and access to appropriate pain management to improve students’ academic engagement and well-being. Keywords: Dysmenorrhea, Students, Lectures, Clinicals, Participation, Performance.