Social Stigma, Psychosocial and Educational Impacts on Adolescent Girls

Abstract

The negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors about menstruation are evident in society that often stigmatized and treat as shameful, a dirty and sinful through adopting such misinformation leading to extend a negative self-concept grounded in societal stigma in Nepal. It leads to struggles, both visible and invisible, especially among girls. This study assesses the status of social and self-stigma and examined the association between menstrual stigma and psychological and educational participation among adolescent girls’. The study adopted descriptive cross sectional research design. The sampling procedure was adopted purposive method and sample size was 216, applying the census approach. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire among adolescent girls. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The adolescent girls are facing stigmatization associated with social and psychological issues at a moderate level. However, most relationships between social restriction variables and emotional outcomes were weak and not statistically significant.  The study underscores the continued relevance of menstrual stigma as a multidimensional issue affecting emotional well-being, social interaction, and everyday functioning. Adolescent girls are still stigmatized during period. Transforming societal attitudes and empowering individuals to embrace menstruation without shame is crucial for gender equality, health, and education.