Randomised trial, 2025
Can combined therapy reduce emotional effects of PMS in teenage girls?
Yes. Teenage girls who received 10 sessions of combined cognitive behavioral therapy and narrative therapy showed significant reductions in rumination and catastrophic thinking about pain. Improvements lasted at follow-up.
What they did
30 teenage girls from Iran with PMS were randomly assigned to either 10 group therapy sessions or control. Therapy combined cognitive behavioral therapy and narrative therapy, focusing on reducing rumination and unhelpful thinking patterns. Assessments occurred before therapy, after, and at follow-up.
What they found
The therapy group showed significant reductions in rumination and pain-related catastrophic thinking compared to control. These improvements persisted at follow-up, indicating lasting effects.
What it means for you
Combined therapy may help teenage girls with PMS by changing unhelpful thought patterns. The study was small and only included girls from Iran, so results may not apply widely. Lasting effects at follow-up are promising, but larger studies are needed.
30
Total adolescent girls
15
Girls in intervention group
10
Therapy sessions
About the study
- Original title
- Development and evaluation of an intervention package to alleviate the psychological effects of premenstrual syndrome in adolescent girls
- Authors
- Asadi H, Ghamari Kivi H, Akhavi Samarein Z
- Journal
- BMC women's health
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 15
- What was tested
- 10 group therapy sessions combining cognitive behavioral therapy and narrative therapy
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03690-7
Topics
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