A STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACUPRESSURE IN REDUCING MENSTRUAL PAIN AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA STUDYING IN SELECTED

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea among adolescent girls may be managed using acupressure which is a non-invasive, cost-free, and timely way to manage their own discomfort. the aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of acupressure in reducing menstrual pain among adolescent girls with primary dysmenorrhea studying in selected schools at bengaluru. a quasi experimental approach with pre and post- test control group time series was used in this study. sixty adolescent girls during menstruation were conveniently selected and 30 in experimental group and 30 in control group. the data was collected using visual analogue pain scale for pain perception, questionnaire and rating scale for menstrual discomforts. data was analysed using chi-square, and t-test. the adolescent girl’s mean age was 15yrs in control group and experimental group was 14yrs, both the groups 18(60.1%) had attained menarche at 13 years and above age, and majority of them were mildly malnourished. both the groups showed mild degree of menstrual discomfort and mild degree of pain in the pain scale 0-4. the mean pre-test pain score of experimental group was 5.23 and for control group 5.9. significant differences in control and experimental group observed before intervention showed t=2.339 (p<0.01) and after 2hrs of intervention t=13.695 (p<0.01). the study reveals that the acupressure on the sp6 meridian can be an effective non-invasive intervention for alleviating primary dysmenorrhea among adolescent girls for at least 2 hours. the result supported that acupressure application is a very suitable and practicable therapy of non-pharmacological measure of reduction in pain perception during menstruation for at least 2 hours. the findings suggested that acupressure at san yin jiao can be an effective, cost-free intervention for reducing pain and anxiety during dysmenorrhoea, and recommend its use for self-care of primary dysmenorrhoea