Relationship between Attitude towards Menstruation, Self- esteem and Social Appearance Anxiety among Indian Cis- Gendered Women who Menstruate

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Menstrual Stigma starts at a very young age and is reinforced by the media, leading to people with vaginas to view it in a negative light and often experience immense guilt and anxiety related to it. On top of this, the sexism they are exposed to takes a toll on their self-esteem and mental health. The aim of the study was to establish a relationship between Attitude towards Menstruation, Self-esteem and Social Appearance Anxiety among young Indian cis-gendered women who menstruate. Method: The study had one predictive variable, Attitudes towards Menstruation, which was measured using the Attitude towards Menstruation Scale. The study had two outcome variables namely, Self-esteem which was measured using the State Self-esteem Scale; and Social Appearance Anxiety, which was measured using Social Appearance Anxiety Scale. The data was collected from 121 young cis-gendered women who could menstruate and resided in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. The data was analyzed using two regression analyses on the predictive variable and outcome variables; and one Pearson’s correlation between the outcome variables. Result: There seems to be no relationship between the predictive and outcome variables. Attitude towards menstruation seems to be affected by several factors such as menstrual experience, level of discrimination, social support received and diagnosis of menstrual ailments. There seems to be a negative relationship between self-esteem and social appearance anxiety. Conclusion: This finding highlights a potential for therapeutic and psychoeducation interventions development for the masses.