Measurement of Attitude towards Menstruation amongst Females in Gwalior, India: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Socio-cultural factors influence females’ attitude towards menstruation. Tools used for assessing menstrual attitude have been developed in countries of different cultures and used accordingly. Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ) – Indian version by Chandra et al. is a modified and an abridged version of the Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire by Brooks‐Gunn and Ruble (1980). Considering the socio-cultural changes that have occurred in the last three decades, this paper’s author has adapted and modified the MAQ- Indian version, to assess menstrual attitude as a part of her Doctoral work. Pilot study was conducted in Gwalior city to assess the feasibility of administering the questionnaire in a culture where menstruation is still considered a taboo topic for discussion by many. All the females (n=36) were in the reproductive age group. Findings of the pilot phase are reported in the present paper. Feedback from the participants assured the prospects of conducting the survey at a larger scale in the future.