Sucheera Phattharayuttawat

Premenstrual Syndrome in Thai Nurses

Objective. To investigate prevalence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its associated factors among Thai nurses. Methods. The study was conducted in 423 nurses in a university hospital during October 2005 to March 2006. Prevalence of PMS was determined using a validated Thai version of Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST). Factors associated with PMS were analyzed using Student t-test and Chi-square test. Results. The prevalence of PMS in Thai nurses was 25.1%. Nurses with younger age, nulligravida, lower income, more coffee consumption, dysmenorrhea, and negative attitude toward menstruation had higher prevalence of PMS. After multiple logistic regression analysis, the significant factors associated with PMS were coffee consumption >1 cups/day and negative attitude toward menstruation; odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 2.322 (1.257 to 4.288) and 5.768 (2.096 to 15.872), respectively. Conclusion. According to the Thai PSST, 25.1% of Thai nurses are suffering from PMS. The significant associated factors were more coffee consumption and negative attitude toward menstruation.

Thai version of Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire

The English version of Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) was translated into the Thai language. The TFEQ Thai version shows good internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities. Restraint and disinhibition scores, which were higher in females than males were correlated with body fat but did not relate to BMI. Disinhibition varied positively with restraint and hunger while restraint was negatively associated with hunger. Lowest restraint was shown in the group that reported liking carbohydrate, which is a major daily macronutrient among Thai populations. TFEQ Thai version is valid for future study of eating behaviors associated with health problems and diseases.

Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in students 23 months after tsunami.

OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 4th-9th grade students in an affected school 23 months after tsunami. METHOD Two-stage screening procedure was used in a diagnostic study designed to identify post-traumatic stress disorder in the 4th-9th grade students in a school in Takaupa district, Phang Nga province, 23 months after the 2004 tsunami. Impact of Events Scale (IES) was used as a screening questionnaire in the first stage. In the second stage, the students were assessed by a psychiatrist to identify PTSD according to DSM-IV criteria. SPSS 10.0, inferential statistics and Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. RESULT A total of 436 students participated in the study. Forty of them were diagnosed with PTSD. The prevalence of PTSD was 15.1%. The sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value of IES were 0.75, 0.54 and 0.92 respectively. CONCLUSION The prevalence of PTSD in students in a school 23 months after tsunami was 15.1%.