Files and links (1)
Published Version (Advanced Access)CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Mental Health and the Menstrual Cycle: Practitioner Attitudes, Confidence, and Practice
Women & Therapy, Vol.48(4), pp.329-348
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
There is evidence of significant fluctuations in mental health symptoms across the menstrual cycle, however it is not clear whether mental health practitioners routinely address this with their clients. This study aimed to explore the current practice, confidence, and attitudes of mental health professionals in considering the role of the menstrual cycle in their clients’ mental health. Mental health professionals working in Australia (N = 197) responded to an online survey. Findings indicate that while many mental health professionals are relatively confident in discussing the menstrual cycle it is not consistently common practice. Of eight psychological variables, participants perceived mood symptoms as most important to address in relation to client’s menstrual cycle, while risk to others and psychotic symptoms were perceived as least important. In terms of barriers to discussing the menstrual cycle, four categories of barriers identified were: lack of knowledge and training; not considering it to be relevant; shame and discomfort; practical barriers. Two categories relating to additional resources required to support this practice were: training and practical tools. Training opportunities, practice guidelines, and resources are required to support practitioners in considering and discussing the menstrual cycle with mental health clients.
Details
- Title
- Mental Health and the Menstrual Cycle: Practitioner Attitudes, Confidence, and Practice
- Authors
- T. Stotz - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyR. M. Brand (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
- Publication details
- Women & Therapy, Vol.48(4), pp.329-348
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1080/02703149.2025.2459956
- ISSN
- 1541-0315; 0270-3149
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991104338002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
2 File views/ downloads
33 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary
- Women's Studies
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites