Functional status of nurses with primary dysmenorrhea and their coping metods

The research was conducted as a descriptive study to examine the functional status of nurses working at Ankara City Hospital and experiencing primary dysmenorrhea and to determine the coping methods they used. The research was conducted with nurses experiencing primary dysmenorrhea working at Ankara City Hospital between March and August 2023. The sample of the research consisted of 166 nurses. The data of the study were collected using the "Personal Information Form", "Functional and Emotional Dysmenorrhea Scale", "Menstruation Symptom Scale" and "Dysmenorrhea Follow-up Form" and Visual analog scale. In the analysis of data; number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t test, ANOVA (F) test, one-way analysis of variance, pearson correlation test and Dunn test were used.In the study, p values ​​below 0.05 were considered significant.In the research, it was determined that 74.1% of the nurses were 29 years old and under and 42.8% were married.It was observed that the average visual analogue scale (VAS) score of the nurses was 6.42±2.02, and when they experienced primary dysmenorrhea, they mostly resorted to the use of painkillers, hot application to the abdomen, hot application to the feet, consumption of herbal tea and massage methods.The mean scores of the FEDS and MSÖ scales used in the study were found to be 3.09±0.96 and 3.37±0.80 out of 5, respectively (p<0.05). When the sub-dimensions of the scales are examined; According to the age and marital status of nurses, FEDS and MSS total score and sub-score averages were found to be higher in those under 29 years of age and single (p<0.05). According to the results of the research, the average pain score of the nurses was found to be high, they were functionally affected by this situation and they used alternative methods to cope with this situation. It is recommended that more research be conducted on the methods used to cope with primary dysmenorrhea and that nurses' knowledge level on this subject be increased.