Heat Application on Depression, Anxiety, Menstrual Attitude and Dysmenorrhea

AIM: Establishing the effects of heat application on depression, anxiety, menstrual attitude and severity of dysmenorrhea. METHODS: This randomized controlled prospective experimental trial was conducted with 43 students who were suffering from dysmenorrhea under 2 groups, the heat treatment group (n=20) and the control group (n=23). To the heat treatment group, dry heat was applied for 20 minutes to the lower abdominal region of the subjects when their dysmenorrhea was most severe. The control group did not receive any treatments. The data were acquired by using a Personal Information Form. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for determining the severity of dysmenorrhea, the Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire to establish the type of pain, the Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire to establish the attitude and the practices during dysmenorrhea and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale to determine the psychological impacts of dysmenorrhea were used. In the first menstrual cycle, both groups received the questionnaires, and no treatment was applied. At the second, third and fourth menstrual cycles, VAS and the McGill Pain Questionnaire were applied before the treatment (T1), right after the treatment (T2) and 2 hours after the treatment (T3). The Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale were applied right after the treatment.