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.
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
Topics
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