Survey study, 2026
Do girls who experienced childhood abuse or neglect have higher PMDD symptoms?
Yes. Girls who experienced childhood abuse or neglect reported higher PMDD symptoms compared to girls with limited abuse or neglect. This is a cross-sectional study, so we cannot know if maltreatment causes PMDD.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 296 female adolescents aged 10-22 years in Nigeria. They used questionnaires to measure childhood trauma, PMDD symptoms, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and social support. They grouped girls into three classes based on their patterns of abuse and neglect.
What they found
Three groups emerged: High Abuse (97 girls), High Neglect (41 girls), and Limited Abuse or Neglect (158 girls). Girls in the High Abuse and High Neglect classes had higher odds of PMDD symptoms. Among girls with high abuse, those who screened positive for PMDD also reported higher suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety. The High Abuse class had lower levels of social support.
What it means for you
Girls exposed to childhood abuse or neglect are more likely to report PMDD symptoms. This is important because it highlights a vulnerable group needing support. The main limitation is that this is cross-sectional, so we cannot prove maltreatment causes PMDD. The study is from Nigeria, adding information from a low-income country where this connection had not been studied.
296
adolescents studied
97
girls in High Abuse class
41
girls in High Neglect class
About the study
- Original title
- Childhood maltreatment profiles and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) among female adolescents in Nigeria: A latent class analysis
- Authors
- Wasiu Olorunlambe, Sherifat Adeniyi, Maricela Galdamez et al.
- Journal
- Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 158
- What was tested
- None. This was an observational study.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101064
Topics
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