Ahmar Metastasis Health Journal (AMHJ)
Vol. 5 No. 4 (2026): Ahmar Metastasis Health Journal

Modeling Dysmenorrhea Using PLS-SEM: The Role of Pain Frequency, Severity, and Self-Management among Female Health Students

Karwati Karwati (Department of Midwifery, STIKes Budi Luhur, Cimahi, West Java, Indonesia)
Heru Santoso Wahito Nugroho (Center of Excellence of Community Empowerment in Health, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Mar 2026

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea remains a common health issue among young women, yet limited studies have examined the behavioral structure underlying its burden, particularly among female health students. This study aimed to develop and test a structural behavioral model linking menstrual bleeding duration, pain frequency, pain severity, and primary self-management methods. A cross-sectional design was employed involving 215 female health students, with data collected through a structured questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the relationships among variables. The findings indicate that menstrual pain frequency significantly predicts pain severity (p < 0.001) and the choice of primary self-management methods (p = 0.034). In contrast, menstrual bleeding duration showed no significant effect on either pain severity or self-management strategies. These results highlight that pain frequency is the key determinant in shaping dysmenorrhea burden and behavioral responses, providing a novel contribution to understanding self-management patterns among health students. The study suggests that interventions should prioritize managing pain frequency to reduce dysmenorrhea impact.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

AMHJ

Publisher

Subject

Dentistry Health Professions Medicine & Pharmacology Nursing Public Health

Description

Ahmar Metastasis Health Journal (AMHJ), with registered number ISSN 2797-6483 (Print), 2797-4952 (Online) managed by the AHMAR Foundation, published by Yayasan Ahmad Mansyur Nasirah, which is a scientific forum for publishing articles on research activities in health (midwifery, pharmacy, nursing, ...