Effectiveness of a mental health-based educational intervention on the quality of life of secondary school girls with primary dysmenorrhea: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background Dysmenorrhea, the most common menstruation-related problem in adolescents, is a medical term for painful menstrual periods that can be primary or secondary. Primary dysmenorrhea is characterized by painful uterine contractions caused by shedding of the endometrium. There is a positive correlation between the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress experienced by adolescents and the severity of primary dysmenorrhea, and the increase in the severity of dysmenorrhea leads to a decrease in the quality of life. Therefore, adolescents should be educated to develop good lifestyle habits to relieve dysmenorrhea symptoms and further improve their quality of life. Methods This randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted in two phases: The first phase is a descriptive-analytical study. Initially, research questionnaires will be distributed to collect data on demographic variables, menstrual pain severity, depression, anxiety, and stress assessment, as well as health-related quality of life assessment for girls aged 14 to 19. In the second phase of the study, a multi-stage random sampling method will be employed to select intervention and control groups from among the students of each school. The selection will be based on the conducted descriptive-analytical study and the specified inclusion criteria. A pre-test will be conducted to ensure the equivalence of the two groups (control and intervention) concerning the relevant variables. We will then proceed to design and implement the educational program in the intervention group. The results will be compared and evaluated in two phases (the first and third menstrual cycles) following the intervention in both the intervention and control groups. Discussion The present study will evaluate the effects of a mental health-based educational intervention on the quality of life in high school girls suffering from primary dysmenorrhea. The study will first identify key predictors of mental health in primary dysmenorrhea and then design a tailored intervention. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov IRCT20240717062449N1. Registered on 25 July 2024 with the IRCTID.