Survey study, 2025
Can anxiety and depression predict how severe PMS will be?
Yes. Depression and anxiety strongly predict PMS severity. When depression increased by one level, PMS risk went up 41%. When anxiety increased by one level, risk went up 51%.
What they did
624 female university students in Iran completed questionnaires measuring PMS severity, anxiety, and depression. Researchers used statistical models to see which factors predicted worse PMS.
What they found
Among the students, 33.4% had mild PMS, 52% had moderate PMS, and 14.6% had severe PMS. Depression increased PMS risk by 41% and anxiety by 51%. Sleeping longer hours also increased PMS risk by 40%.
What it means for you
Mental health screening should be part of PMS management, but the study only included university students in one city in Iran, so results may not apply to all women.
624
Female university students
51%
PMS risk increase with anxiety
52%
Percentage with moderate PMS
About the study
- Original title
- Prediction premenstrual syndrome (PMS) with anxiety, and depression in female students
- Authors
- Li H, Sarokhani M, Gilan MHS et al.
- Journal
- BMC psychiatry
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 624
- What was tested
- Questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression, and PMS symptoms
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07250-z
Topics
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