Menstrual pain and psychosocial wellbeing among adolescent girls in Hohoe, Ghana

Menstrual pain, or dysmenorrhea, is a prevalent issue among adolescent girls, affecting their psychosocial well-being. In Ghana, where cultural stigmas and limited healthcare access persist, the psychosocial impact of menstrual pain remains underexplored. This study investigated the effect of menstrual pain on psychosocial well-being among adolescent girls in Hohoe, Ghana. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a basic school in Hohoe, involving 98 adolescent girls aged 10–19 (mean = 13.4, SD = 1.4). The participants were selected through random sampling, and data were collected using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which assessed their emotional, social, and behavioral difficulties. Descriptive statistics and MANOVA were performed. Half of the participants (50%) reported severe menstrual pains and 23.5% and 9.2% reported moderate and mild pain respectively. Overall, 20.4% reported high psychosocial difficulties, with higher difficulties were reported in emotional challenges (25.5%), conduct problems (21.4%). Menstrual pain had significant effect on psychosocial wellbeing, with those reporting severe pain reporting higher difficulties in conduct problems. This study found that while many teenage girls showed normal prosocial behavior, some also faced emotional and behavioral challenges, with menstrual pain linked to conduct issues. The study stresses the need for holistic support, addressing both physical and mental health in schools.