Effectiveness Of Yoga Therapy For Relief Of Dysmenorrhoea Among Adolescents Of A Selected High School In Mangalore

Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. These are the formative years when maximum amount of physical, psychological and behavioural changes takes place1 . The adolescent years constitute a period when girls are vulnerable to the development of menstrual dysfunctions. The common menstrual cycle problems are dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea, pre-menstrual syndrome and irregular menstruation. Dysmenorrhoea is by far the most common and addressed complaint2 . The management of dysmenorrhoea is multifaceted and depends on the severity of the problem. It is necessary that the adolescents be educated regarding alternatives for alleviating menstrual discomfort3 . Yoga is one of the simple, cost effective and natural method. Yoga, by its nature is easier for children to learn than adults because their bodies are closer to the natural stage. Hence the researcher felt the need to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga therapy for the relief of dysmenorrhoea among adolescents of selected high schools in Mangalore. Objectives: • To determine the severity of dysmenorrhoea among adolescents in the experimental and control group as measured by dysmenorrhoea assessment scale. • To evaluate the effectiveness of Yoga therapy in the experimental group • To compare the severity of dysmenorrhoea between experimental and control group. Methodology: An evaluative research approach with quasi-experimental design was used for the study. The study was carried out in a selected high school at Mangalore after obtaining written permission from the school authorities. The sample comprised of 40 adolescents in the age group of 12 to 16 years selected by purposive sampling technique. Pre-test data was conducted by administering dysmenorrhoea assessment scale to both the experimental and control group. The second day onwards yoga therapy was taught to the experimental group 45 minutes a day, five days a week, for four weeks prior to the next menstruation. Post-test was conducted after their next menstruation in both groups using same dysmenorrhea assessment scale. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The results showed that majority of sample in the experimental group (55%) and in control group (65%) had 4 – 5 days of menstruation. In the experimental group most (95%) of the sample in the pre-test had moderate pain and 5% had severe pain whereas, in the post-test 80% of sample had mild pain and only 20% moderate pain. The pre and post-test data of control group depicted that the entire sample had moderate pain consistently. The mean post-test dysmenorrhoea score (19.1) was lower than the mean pre-test dysmenorrhoea score (28.95) in the experimental group. The mean post-test dysmenorrhoea score (26.5) was almost similar to the mean pre-test dysmenorrhoea score (27.25) in the control group. The findings showed a significant difference in the mean dysmenorrhoea score (t19= 8.249, p< 0.05) and symptoms experienced during painful menstruation (t19= 6.496, p<0.05) in the experimental group before and after giving yoga therapy. The significant difference in the dysmenorrhoea score was also observed between experimental and the control group (t38= 7.581, p<0.05). Conclusion: From the findings of the study, it can be concluded that majority of the sample experienced moderate dysmenorrhoea. Yoga therapy was effective in reducing the severity of dysmenorrhoea in the experimental group