Survey study, 2011
Does being more exposed to American culture raise the risk of PMDD in ethnic minority women?
Yes, women born in the US, those who immigrated at a young age, and those who had lived longer in the US were more likely to have had PMDD, but this is based on a one-time survey so cause and effect cannot be proven.
What they did
Researchers analyzed survey data from 3856 English-speaking, premenopausal Asian, Latina, and Black women in the US, drawn from two national surveys. They compared PMDD rates against measures of acculturation: whether born in the US, age at immigration, and length of time living in the US.
What they found
Lifetime PMDD prevalence was 3.3%. Foreign-born women were less likely to have PMDD than US-born women (OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.21-0.68), and immigrants who arrived after age six were less likely than those who arrived before age six (OR=0.33, 95% CI 0.18-0.62). The likelihood of PMDD increased the longer a woman had lived in the US.
What it means for you
More exposure to American culture was linked to a higher chance of PMDD in these women, possibly due to stresses tied to minority life such as discrimination or pressure to assimilate. The PMDD diagnosis was provisional and based on people recalling past symptoms, and because the study only looked at one point in time, it cannot prove that culture causes PMDD.
3.3%
Lifetime PMDD prevalence
OR=0.38
Odds ratio for foreign-born women
OR=0.33
Odds ratio for immigrating after age six
About the study
- Original title
- Exposure to American culture is associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder among ethnic minority women
- Authors
- Pilver CE, Kasl S, Desai R et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None, acculturation was studied as an exposure, not a treatment.
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.10.013
Topics
Related studies
Case-control study, 2026
Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?
Cohort study, 2023
Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis?
Randomised trial, 2000
How should PMDD be diagnosed and treated?
Study, 2026
What do women in Lahore know about PMDD and do they seek help for it?
Survey study, 2025
Is the Chinese uncertainty anxiety scale reliable for measuring PMS-related anxiety?
Study, 2025
Do women with PMDD who experienced childhood trauma have more trouble recognizing emotions?