--- title: What helps high school girls manage premenstrual symptoms? | Niyora description: Understanding how your body and mood change during your menstrual cycle helps reduce premenstrual distress. Family support and understanding also help reduce url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-distress-among-japanese-high-school-students-self-care-strategies-2015/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - What helps high school girls manage premenstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2015 # What helps high school girls manage premenstrual symptoms? Understanding how your body and mood change during your menstrual cycle helps reduce premenstrual distress. Family support and understanding also help reduce symptoms. Moderate study design 217 high school girls aged 15 to 18 in Japan ## What they did A survey of 217 high school girls aged 15 to 18 conducted in October 2009. The girls answered questions about premenstrual symptoms, how much symptoms interfered with school, what self-care strategies they used, and questions about their personality and whether their family understood their behaviour during the premenstrual phase. ## What they found Most girls (84.3 percent) had at least one premenstrual symptom. About half (51.2 percent) said premenstrual symptoms interfered with normal school activities. Most girls (57.1 percent) did not use any self-care strategies. Girls who understood their own physical and mental states during the premenstrual phase had fewer symptoms. Girls who felt their family understood their behaviour during the premenstrual phase also had less symptom interference. ## What it means for you Teaching girls about the physical and emotional changes of their menstrual cycle may help them manage symptoms, especially those with anxious traits. Family awareness appears protective. However, the study only looked at Japanese high school students in one time period, so findings may not apply to all adolescent girls or older women. 217 Girls surveyed 84.3 percent Had at least one premenstrual symptom 51.2 percent Had symptoms that interfered with school ## About the study Original title Premenstrual Distress Among Japanese High School Students: Self-Care Strategies and Associated Physical and Psychosocial Factors Authors Otsuka-Ono H, Sato I, Ikeda M et al. Journal Women & health Year 2015 Study design Survey study Participants 217 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2015.1061089](https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2015.1061089) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Non-randomised trial, 2022 Is nutrition status linked to PMS, and does health education help? Survey study, 2021 Is anxiety about PMS related to how much girls know about reproductive health? Survey study, 2020 What attitudes do teenage girls have about premenstrual syndrome, and what affects them? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2025 What psychological and personal factors predict which university students will develop premenstrual syndrome? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗