Survey study, 1990
Is anxiety related to premenstrual syndrome?
Yes. Women with higher levels of anxiety trait are significantly more likely to have premenstrual syndrome, especially psychological symptoms like mood changes.
What they did
Researchers measured premenstrual syndrome symptoms in 68 women using a modified questionnaire and measured their anxiety using a standard anxiety test. They looked for correlations between the two.
What they found
Premenstrual syndrome symptoms were significantly correlated with trait anxiety. Trait anxiety was correlated with all three types of symptoms: behavioral, psychological, and physical. The strongest correlation was with psychological symptoms.
What it means for you
Anxiety and premenstrual symptoms may be linked. The researchers suggest that stress-management training might help treat premenstrual syndrome. The study is small and cannot prove that anxiety causes premenstrual syndrome.
68
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Relationship between anxiety and premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Picone L, Kirkby RJ
- Journal
- Psychological reports
- Year
- 1990
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 68
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1990.67.1.43
Topics
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