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To identify the prevalence of various menstrual problems in young females studying health sciences and to identify their association with academic stress. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in the health colleges of Immam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia between February 2015 and February 2016. Seven hundred and thirty-eight female students aged 18-25 years anonymously completed menstrual problem identification and perceived stress scale questionnaire. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16.0.  Results: Ninety-one percent of the students were suffering from some kind of menstrual problem. The different menstrual problems reported, and their incidences included irregular menstruation (27%), abnormal vaginal bleeding (9.3%), amenorrhea (9.2%),  menorrhagia (3.4%), dysmenorrhea (89.7%), and premenstrual symptoms (46.7%). High perceived stress (HPS) was identified in 39% of the students. A significant positive correlation was found between HPS and menstrual problems. Students with HPS had 4 times, 2 times, and 2.8 times increased odds ratio for experiencing amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual syndrome (p less than 0.05).  Conclusion: The most prevalent menstrual problems (dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms) in the target population were strongly associated with stress. Therefore, it is recommended that health science students should be provided with early psychological and gynecological counselling to prevent future complications.

Background Although unemployment and high levels of perceived stress have been associated in cross-sectional studies, the direction of causation is unknown. We prospectively examined if high levels of perceived everyday life stress increased the risk of subsequent unemployment and further if differences existed between socioeconomic status-groups. Methods We included 9335 18–64-year-old employed respondents of a health survey (North Denmark Health Profile 2010) in which Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale was used to assess the level of perceived stress. Data were linked individually to national administrative registers. Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the association between perceived stress quintiles and risk of unemployment during 98 weeks of follow-up. Analyses were further performed in subgroups defined by education and income. Results In total, 224 people (10.4%) of the high stress group became unemployed during follow-up, which was higher than the lower stress groups. After adjusting for gender, age, education and income, the risk of unemployment was 1.64 (95% CI: 1.28;2.11) in the high stress group compared to the low stress group. After adjusting for gender and age, a similar trend was observed across different education levels and among the lower income groups, but no higher risk of unemployment due to perceived stress was found among the higher income groups. However, there was no statistically significant interaction between perceived stress and income level ( p  = 0.841) or perceived stress and education level ( p  = 0.587). Conclusion Perceived everyday life stress nearly doubled the risk of subsequent unemployment in a working population. No statistically significant interactions between SES and perceived stress were found. This indicates that stress prevention among the working population should not solely focus on stress in the workplace but also include stress from everyday life.

Background: Medical education throughout the world poses the incoming student with many challenging situations and demands. This forms an ideal environment for the student to be under stress as he/she adapts to these stress-inducing conditions. Factors both psychosocial and otherwise, vary widely between institutions of learning, the demographic studied, the external influences of the environment/country, and the stage of learning of the student, among other factors. Aims and Objective: To assess the prevalence of stress among first-year medical undergraduate students and to segregate the potential stressors derived from the study. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving the first-year medical students. Prevalence of stress was assessed using Cohens Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), which is an internationally validated 10-item questionnaire. The effect of potential stressors was assessed using a 33-item questionnaire. The stressors were categorized as academic, psychosocial, and health-related. Result: Of the 147 respondents, the mean PSS score was 21.09 (SD: 4.7). Of them, 105 students (71.4%) reported moderate stress, 16 students (10.9%) had high stress, and 26 students (17.7%) reported low/no stress. The top five stressors were all academic or psychosocial stressors. Conclusion: The vast majority of students perceived moderate stress and analysis highlighted a greater association with academic factors compounded by psychosocial ones. Preventive mental health measures on the basis of this and further studies into the occurrences of stress in the early academic years of a medical professional, followed by effective management tools and programs could go a long way in counteracting the harmful long-term effects of stress on their careers, producing happier and more productive and efficient medical professionals. [Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol 2016; 6(1.000): 9-14]

Stress may have an impact on the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but evidence is still lacking regarding a potential association between perceived (subjective) stress and objectively measured stress and whether patients' levels of stress in relapse differ from those in remission. The aim of this study was to investigate patients' level of stress in relapse and in remission. Twenty-three patients with active IBD participated in the study. Cortisol was assessed in saliva and in blood to obtain objective measurements. For subjective measurements, the patients completed the Short Health Scale (SHS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaires. Physiological measurements were taken, and questionnaires were completed at the beginning of relapse and when the patient was classified as being in remission. Relapses and remissions were determined by endoscopic examination and faecal calprotectin. Cortisol levels did not differ between measurements in active disease and in remission (7.50 ± 5.52 vs. 5.55 ± 2.65). PSS showed no differences between the two measurements (13 vs. 16, -value 0.83). Inflammatory cytokines IL-6 (1.97 ± 2.47 vs. 0.72 ± 0.43, < 0.05) and IL-8 (6.84 ± 3.57 vs. 2.94 ± 2.79, < 0.001) were significantly lower during remission compared with active disease. This study demonstrated low to moderate levels of perceived stress in patients with IBD during active disease and remission. The results also showed significantly elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 in serum during relapse compared with remission. However, no evidence of elevated objective stress was found when levels of cortisol in saliva were measured. Further research is needed to establish the possible association between stress and IBD and how it affects patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of people worldwide. An increase in perceived stress can lead to unhealthy behaviors such as increased food consumption. The aim of this study was to find the level of perceived stress and its relationship with increased food consumption during the “third wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. This was a cross-sectional study that employed anonline self-reported frequency of consumption questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale-10. A total of 637 subjects participated and 83.6% of respondents had moderate or high stress—more prevalent in the female and young respondents. Moreover, 36.1% of respondents reported that they had increased the frequency of consumption of some foods, mainly nuts, snacks, and jellybeans, along with coffee, tea, cocoa, and soft drinks. Eating between meals was more pronounced in those with high stress (65.1%) than in those with moderate stress (40.4%) and low stress (20.2%). Furthermore, the respondents with high stress reported greater weight gain. Thus, the results show that the level of perceived stress during the ‘third wave’ of this pandemic increased food consumption.

Background/Objectives: Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in distress among children, as well as in the long-term effects of childhood stress. Parents, particularly mothers, are the most important social partners for preschool-aged children and may help protect them from stress. The current study aims to investigate how parental practices impact children’s perceived stress in relation to their mothers’ stress. Methods: The sample comprised 346 mothers of preschoolers aged 20 to 48 years (M = 34.39, SD = 6.16). Participants completed an online survey that included the Perceived Stress Scale for Parents of Preschoolers, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire—Preschool Revision, and questions regarding their socio-demographic characteristics. Results: Punitive parenting contributed positively, while positive parenting contributed negatively to children’s distress. When mothers’ perceived stress was taken into account, positive parenting lost its significance. Punitive parenting and maternal perceived stress were the only positive predictors of child distress. Conclusions: Stress in mothers may lead to a decrease in their involvement in the upbringing and parenting of preschoolers, potentially contributing to increased stress levels in children. Intervention programs aimed at reducing preschoolers’ stress should incorporate classes for parents that also could be focused on stress regulation for parents and training in positive parenting practices.

Objective: To determine the association of polycystic ovarian syndrome with stress in women of reproductive age group. Study Design: Case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sughra Shafi Hospital, Narowal Pakistan, from Feb to Jul 2025. Methodology: Five hundred and thirty women were included in the study from OPD and were divided in two groups i.e. cases were those who were diagnosed with PCOS and controls were those who did not have PCOS. Then women were examined for perceived stress score and if score If >13, then stress was labeled. Results: In this study, the mean age of women in case group was 30.30±8.57 years and in control group was 31.26±8.80 years. The stress was observed in 175(66.0%) women in case group while in 82(30.9%) women in control groups with the OR =4.339 (95% CI: 3.016, 6.245). Conclusion: There is significant association of stress with PCOS among women of reproductive age group.

Objectives Numerous studies have focused on the ways to cultivate self-compassion (SC). Most of the SC interventions were typically lengthy and did not capture momentary fluctuations in SC after each exercise in the intervention. Therefore, we explored the impact of repeated self-compassionate writing as an ecological momentary intervention (EMI). Method Seventy-five participants completed a 3-week study with signals sent twice daily, resulting in 1,980 observations collected. During the 1-week control period, participants were asked to report their experiences of negative events, momentary SC, and momentary stress. In the subsequent 1-week intervention period, they engaged in SC writing whenever they experienced negative events. Trait SC and weekly stress were also evaluated before and after the intervention, including a 1-week follow-up period. Results Multilevel modeling showed a slight significant increase in momentary SC and a reduction in momentary stress. However, the slope did not differ significantly between the intervention and control periods. Moreover, there were no significant changes in trait SC nor in weekly stress, although the weekly stress levels showed a decreasing trend with a small effect size from pre to post intervention. Conclusions This study provided preliminary evidence of the feasibility and utility of EMI in cultivating SC using repeated self-compassionate writing. Although the effect sizes were small, the study highlighted possible approaches to increase the effectiveness of the intervention. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.

Stress significantly impacts adolescents’ health. Therefore, its measurement is of critical importance. This study aims to assess the psychometric properties of a Greek adolescent version of PSS-10 among middle adolescents. This study’s questionnaire, which was completed by 169 adolescents aged 15–18, included a Greek linguistic, cultural, and age-appropriate version of the PSS-10 and the validated Greek ASQ version. Confirmatory factor and exploratory factor analyses were conducted. Convergent validity was tested through Pearson’s r intercorrelations among PSS-10 scales and ASQ and PSS-10 scales. Discriminant construct validity was determined by the association between PSS-10 scales and gender, grade, diploma grade, and following daily routines using Student’s t-tests or analysis of variance (ANOVA). Confirmatory factor analysis was not satisfactory. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors: perceived coping and perceived control, which explained 25.8% and 23.8% of the variance, respectively. Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.70). Positive and significant correlations were found between ASQ and PSS-10 scores, indicating satisfactory convergent validity. Concerning discriminant validity, students who followed daily routines appeared to have less perceived stress. The Greek version of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) for adolescents is a valid instrument and can be used by professionals to rapidly screen perceived stress in adolescent populations.

Backgrounds Sleep paralysis (SP) is a parasomnia disorder connected to being unable to move your body though the experiencing person remains conscious. Factors involving this disorder are stress, post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lifestyle factors including the amount of sleep, and the amount of caffeine consumed. Our study aim is to assess the symptoms, duration, time of occurrence, and body position during SP episodes and frequency of SP episodes with these variables. Methods A total of 412 participants took part in this quantitative cross‐sectional study. Data were collected through online questionnaire. Ethical consideration was taken into account. Results A significant correlation with a p value of less than 0.001 was discovered between the quantity of SP episodes and SP symptoms with inability to move the body has the highest frequency (44.7%) among people who experience SP (48.1%). Significant association was found between frequency of SP episodes with duration, that is, fewer seconds (20.9%), occurrence of SP upon falling asleep (23.8%), and body position during SP, that is, on back (26.5%) having p value of less than 0.001, respectively. A noteworthy correlation was discovered between the frequency of SP episodes, PTSD, and stress having a p value of 0.009. Significant association was also found between frequency of SP episodes with caffeine intake (38.1%) and smoking (2.9%) having a p value of <0.001. Conclusions This study suggests a relationship between SP and lifestyle and psychological factors. Sleep paralysis often strikes when falling asleep in a supine position; its frequency links strongly with lifestyle factors. Both sleep timing and posture significantly influence episodes. Research involving 412 Pakistani participants highlights these correlations, emphasizing how daily habits impact this condition's occurrence.