How do experiences of trauma and mental illness influence menstrual experiences and attitudes?

Despite the close relationship between mental and menstrual health, research on the intersection of these experiences is limited, often considering each experience in isolation of the other. Therefore, interdisciplinary research is required to elucidate the complex biological, psychological, socio-political, and structural factors which shape experiences of menstrual and mental health, and subsequent health inequalities.

The proposed research combines feminist epidemiological approaches with phenomenological inquiry, to examine how experiences of trauma and mental illness influence menstrual experiences and attitudes at an individual and population level. This mixed-methods approach will examine an epidemiological understanding alongside lived experiences, employing emancipatory feminist, survivor-led research methods to ensure the research is not depoliticised or decontextualised from the patriarchal and sociopolitical drivers of gendered trauma, mental illness, and menstrual stigma. The research questions this project will address include:

- How do experiences of trauma and mental illness influence people's menstrual experiences and attitudes?

- How do menstrual experiences and attitudes differ between the trauma exposed and mentally ill samples, and dependent on categories of trauma exposure (e.g. sexual vs non-sexual trauma(s))?

- What role do experiences of body image and self-objectification play in shaping the menstrual experiences and attitudes of people who've been exposed to trauma and/or mental illness?