---
title: Does stress affect premenstrual symptoms in students? | Niyora
description: Yes, stress is connected to premenstrual symptoms. In international students, depression explained part of this connection. In domestic students, having socia
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-path-analysis-of-stress-and-premenstrual-symptoms-in-korean-international-and-2016/
---

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- Does stress affect premenstrual symptoms in students?

Cohort study, 2016

# Does stress affect premenstrual symptoms in students?

Yes, stress is connected to premenstrual symptoms. In international students, depression explained part of this connection. In domestic students, having social support protected against stress affecting symptoms.

 Moderate study design

Korean international and domestic university students

## What they did

Researchers followed 98 Korean international students and 89 Korean domestic students for 10 weeks. Each week for 2 complete menstrual cycles, women filled out online surveys about stress, culture-related stress, depression, and premenstrual symptoms.

## What they found

In international students, depressive symptoms partially explained how stress led to premenstrual symptoms. In domestic students, perceived social support acted as a protective factor between stress and premenstrual symptoms. The relationship between stress and symptoms was not direct but worked through these other factors.

## What it means for you

Stress may contribute to premenstrual symptoms, but the path is indirect and depends on depression and social support. This helps explain why stress affects some women more than others. The study was small and only included Korean students, so results may differ in other populations.

98

international students studied

89

domestic students studied

10

weeks of weekly surveys

## About the study

Original title A path analysis of stress and premenstrual symptoms in Korean international and Korean domestic students Authors Lee Y, Im EO Journal Journal of advanced nursing Year 2016 Study design Cohort study Participants 98 What was tested None - observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/jan.13061](https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13061)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

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