Does mindfulness training help with pain and emotional stress in PMDD?

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on pain intensity and distress tolerance in students with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with 3 months follow up and a control group. From the statistical population, which consisted of all female students with premenstrual dysphoric disorder at the Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences in Tehran during the academic year 1402-1403. 32 Female students were selected through purposive sampling according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group received 8 mindfulness training sessions. The research instruments included the Pain Intensity Rating Scale, and the Distress Tolerance Scale. Assessments were conducted during the three stages. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measures method. According to the findings, mindfulness affected these patients' pain intensity and distress tolerance, reducing pain intensity and increasing distress tolerance and results were maintained at the three-month follow-up period. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that mindfulness training can be used as a method to reduce pain intensity and increase distress tolerance in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

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