Case-control study, 2010
Are personality traits different in women with PMDD?
Yes. Women with PMDD showed higher levels of neuroticism-related traits including anxiety, stress susceptibility, embitterment, and mistrust than healthy women. These traits were stronger in women with more severe symptoms and linked to a genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene.
What they did
Case-control study comparing 30 women with PMDD to 55 healthy controls. Researchers assessed personality traits using a validated scale and analyzed genetic variations in 27 PMDD patients and 18 controls.
What they found
PMDD women scored higher on psychic anxiety, somatic anxiety, embitterment, stress susceptibility, and mistrust. Women with PMDD who carried a specific genetic variant (short allele of 5-HTTLPR) scored higher on psychic anxiety and had lower assertiveness than those without this variant.
What it means for you
Certain personality traits are more common in PMDD, especially in women with severe symptoms. A genetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene may influence which personality traits are most affected. The main limitation is small sample size, especially for genetic analysis.
30
Women with PMDD
55
Healthy control women
27
Women with genetic data
About the study
- Original title
- Neuroticism-related personality traits are related to symptom severity in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and to the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphism 5-HTTPLPR
- Authors
- Gingnell M, Comasco E, Oreland L et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 27
- What was tested
- Personality assessment and genetic testing
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-010-0164-4
Topics
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