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Survey study, 2014

What factors cause PMS in teenage girls?

Daily hassles had the biggest effect on PMS in teenage girls. Other factors included age at first period, body weight, menstrual flow amount, test anxiety, social support, attitudes about menstruation, and femininity, but not school stress.

Early or limited evidence 1,087 teenage girls from middle and high schools in one Korean city

What they did

Cross-sectional study of 1,087 teenage girls from 8 schools in one Korean city. Data were collected from July to October 2012. They used questionnaires to test a model of factors that might cause PMS.

What they found

Daily hassles had the greatest impact on PMS. Twelve out of 16 tested relationships were statistically significant. Factors that directly affected PMS were age at first period, body mass index (BMI), menstrual flow amount, test anxiety, social support, menstrual attitude, and femininity. Academic stress did not directly affect PMS. The model explained 27% of the variation in PMS among these girls.

What it means for you

Daily stress and test anxiety appear particularly important for PMS in teenagers, and interventions should address these along with attitudes about menstruation. The model explained only 27% of PMS, meaning many other factors not measured here also matter. This is one Korean city at one time, so findings may not apply elsewhere.

1,087

teenage girls

27%

of PMS variation explained

12 out of 16

relationships statistically significant

About the study

Original title
[A structural equation modeling on premenstrual syndrome in adolescent girls]
Authors
Jeon JH, Hwang SK
Journal
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
Year
2014
Study design
Survey study
Participants
1,087
What was tested
None. This was an observational study.
Open access
Yes

Topics