SEXUAL HORMONES MARKER AMONG PREVIOUS CO- EDUCATIONAL VS NON CO- EDUCATIONAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: While several studies have discussed the hormonal variations across educational settings, a notable gap exists in terms of understanding the long-term effects of educational background on sexual hormone regulation, in addition to the influence of several factors, such as stress, physical activity, diet, sleep and social dynamics. The current study aimed to investigate the differences in estradiol and testosterone as main sexual hormones across, and psychological distress, among university students from coeducational and non-coeducational backgrounds, as well as the most common related sociodemographic, health-related, reproductive health and psychological factors that affect such differences among An-Najah National University Students. Methods: A comparative, cross-sectional design was applied on a sample of 300 first-year students of humanities and scientific faculties at An-Najah National University. Collected data included blood samples for sexual hormones (analyzed using Abbott ARCHITECT Assay Kits) and self-reported questionnaire for demographic and other health factors and DASS-42 tool. Data were collected with respect of ethical considerations of anonymity and confidentiality, and were analyzed using SPSS software. • Results: There are significant differences in sexual hormone markers between students in coeducational and non-coeducational settings at An-Najah National University at the level of p < 0.05. Which Females from non-co-educational backgrounds showed higher estradiol levels and Males from non-co-educational backgrounds showed higher testosterone levels.

The median scores of DASS-42 tool were 29 for depression (55.7% extremely severe), 26 for anxiety (48.3% severe) and 28 for stress (35.3% severe) out of 42, with 93.3% and 98.0% having normal estradiol and testosterone levels, respectively. Higher sexual hormones and DASS-42 scores were significantly found among students of non-coeducational backgrounds. Among other factors, stress scores predicted estradiol levels among females, while anxiety scores predicted testosterone levels among male students. Conclusion: The current study succeeded in providing a psychoneuroendocrine model to assess the continuity of psychological-hormonal nature between coeducational and non-coeducational backgrounds from puberty to early adulthood phases. The findings agreed with several proposed theories on related links in this scientific area, with the recommendation of expanding populations in Palestine to gather insights from broader contexts. It is also recommended to conduct further qualitative studies, compare findings with Western countries, and include further factors, like sleep and nutrition.