Randomised trial, 2026
Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy?
Both therapies reduced stress and improved well-being in PMDD, with cognitive-behavioral therapy being more effective. However, neither significantly improved emotional well-being.
What they did
120 female university students with PMDD were divided into three groups of 20. Two groups received different therapies: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), delivered in eight 2-hour sessions. The third group served as control and received no intervention.
What they found
Both CBT and MBCT reduced perceived stress and increased subjective well-being compared to the control group. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was more effective than mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. However, neither therapy significantly improved emotional well-being.
What it means for you
Talk therapy can help women with PMDD reduce stress and feel better overall, with cognitive-behavioral therapy working better than mindfulness-based therapy. A limitation is that emotional well-being was not improved. This study used a control group but was not fully randomized, which limits confidence in the results.
120
female students
8
therapy sessions
2
hours per session
About the study
- Original title
- Comparing the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness -Based Cognitive Therapy on Perceived Stress and Subjective Well-Being among Girls with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Authors
- Zahra Seyfi Kordlar, Majid Baradaran, Azar Kiamarsi et al.
- Journal
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals)
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 120
- What was tested
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy versus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus control
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.22051/psy.2025.50616.3130
Topics
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