Every month, millions of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) go through stress and anxiety because of poor menstrual hygiene.

Poor menstrual hygiene (PMH) comes from inadequate basic items including clean water and dignifying environments. Taboos and stigma in some societies make this even worse and possibly puts adolescents at risk of mental health disorders including depression. How PMH may result in depression is unclear.

This study aims to improve our understanding of this issue.

Following interviews with female adolescents, parents, teachers, and community leaders in rural and semi-rural areas in Ghana, the researcher will develop and refine an existing questionnaire to understand the links between PMH and depression among high-school adolescents. This will simultaneously provide new findings on the relationship between PMH and mental health, making the case for improved menstrual hygiene, and will advance the tools available to identify and manage menstruation-related depression among girls.