Abstract

We surveyed 343 female bank clerks to find out associations between stress and a variety of factors including general, menstruation and reproductive characteristics of the participants. Unmarried women composed the majority of younger, lower income and lower education groups than married did. They also showed higher. though not significantly higher, scores for psychosocial well being index(PWJ) and the first three items of the stress survey. And married women scored slightly higher only in the fourth item of the stress survey. Among the subgroups of married and unmarried women, many factors contributed to a higher stress score in two or more items of the stress survey; in unmarried women, lower education level, little physical exercise, and large family inhabitants, in contrast married women, higher monthly income and greater working hours were related to higher stress scores. According to the menstruation factors, subgroups with dysmenorrhea or irregular cycle and scanty bleedig volume in unmarried women and subgroups with dysmenorrhea in married women showed higher stress scores in PWI. In married women, the proportion of those who have been pregnant was 77.2% and the proportion of those who have experienced spontaneous abortion was 24.1%. Those who have ever experienced two or more spontaneous abortion showed higher, though not statistically significantly higher. scores for PWI. In conclusion, dysmenorrhea was associated with high stress score in two groups. And the other factors related to higher score of PWJ were different between unmarred and married women, which should be considered in a management plan for mental health promotion.

• Keywords: Psychosocial well-being index;Stress score;Menstruation factors;Reproductive factors