Interview study, 2016
How should researchers use daily symptom diaries to study PMDD?
Daily diaries are valuable for PMDD research but need more consistency in how they are used. A review of 75 studies found diaries used to study causes, symptoms, and treatment, but with inconsistent methods across studies.
What they did
Systematic review of research using daily symptom diaries in women with PMDD or LLPDD (late luteal phase dysphoric disorder, an older name for PMDD). Researchers searched PsycINFO and Medline databases and included 75 studies.
What they found
Diaries have been used to study what causes PMDD, how symptoms appear, links to biological factors, and whether treatments work. The review found low consistency among the different diaries used. Many studies only looked at part of the menstrual cycle rather than the whole cycle. Diagnostic procedures and criteria varied substantially between studies.
What it means for you
Daily diaries are a helpful research tool for understanding PMDD, but researchers need to use more consistent methods. The study only reviewed diary studies and excluded women with premenstrual syndrome without clear PMDD diagnosis.
75
studies reviewed
About the study
- Original title
- Daily symptom ratings for studying premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A review
- Authors
- Bosman RC, Jung SE, Miloserdov K et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2016
- Study design
- Interview study
- What was tested
- None, review of research methods
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.08.063
Topics
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