Survey study, 1993
Is the PMS questionnaire reliable and what are the main symptom patterns?
Yes, the questionnaire is very reliable (0.94 internal consistency). It shows that PMS symptoms fall into two main patterns: dysphoria (mood problems) and dysfunction (difficulty functioning in daily life).
What they did
Cross-sectional validation study of 696 women who completed a 35-item retrospective self-report PMS questionnaire. Researchers analyzed which items were most useful, tested reliability, and examined the underlying structure using factor analysis.
What they found
Item analysis eliminated six items that only reflected physical symptoms. The final 29-item questionnaire showed very high internal consistency (coefficient alpha 0.94) and strong split-half reliability. Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure: dysphoria (mood) and dysfunction (life impact), creating a four-quadrant typology of PMS.
What it means for you
A reliable questionnaire helps researchers across different studies compare results consistently. The two main patterns (mood problems and life dysfunction) could help researchers and doctors better understand different types of PMS. Main limitation: showing the questionnaire is internally consistent does not prove it actually measures what it claims to measure.
696
Women completing questionnaire
0.94
Internal consistency coefficient
2
Main symptom factors identified
About the study
- Original title
- Investigation of the reliability and factor structure of a questionnaire for assessment of the premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Condon JT
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1993
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 696
- What was tested
- None.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(93)90009-5
Topics
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