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Non-randomised trial, 2016

Does group cognitive-behavioral therapy help reduce PMS symptoms?

Yes, women who attended 8 sessions of therapy had significant improvements in psychological symptoms and less social problems from PMS (p=0.012).

Early or limited evidence 32 female college students with PMS (nursing and midwifery majors) in Iran

What they did

A study of 32 female college students with PMS who were nursing and midwifery majors. Half attended 8 sessions of group cognitive-behavioral therapy while the other half did not.

What they found

The therapy group had significant improvement in psychological symptoms (p=0.012) and significantly less interference in their social life from PMS (p=0.012) compared to the control group.

What it means for you

Therapy sessions may help reduce PMS symptoms in college students, but the study was small and did not randomly assign people to groups, so it is not certain the therapy caused the improvement.

32

female students

8

therapy sessions

0.012

p value for improvement

About the study

Original title
Effectiveness of Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) ‎
Authors
Maddineshat M, Keyvanloo S, Lashkardoost H et al.
Journal
Iranian journal of psychiatry
Year
2016
Study design
Non-randomised trial
Participants
32
What was tested
8 sessions of group cognitive-behavioral therapy
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

Objective: Standards of care and treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) vary. Non-drug ‎psychosocial intervention therapy is recommended for women with any kind of ‎discomfort or distress caused by PMS. The current study examined the effectiveness of ‎group cognitive-behavioral therapy on the symptoms of PMS at a girls' dormitory of ‎North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences. Method: In this quasi-experimental study, 32 female students with PMS who were majoring in ‎nursing and midwifery and residing in the dormitory were selected using the ‎convenience sampling method and were assigned to experimental and control groups. ‎The Standardized Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool was used as the research ‎tool. Eight sessions of cognitive-behavioral group therapy were held for the students Results: There was a significant difference in psychological symptoms before and after ‎cognitive-behavioral therapy (p=0.012). Furthermore, cognitive-behavioral therapy was ‎effective on social interferences caused by PMS symptoms (p=0.012).‎ Conclusion: Group cognitive-behavioral therapy effectively alleviates PMS symptoms in female ‎college students.‎.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

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