Does personality type affect how severe PMS symptoms are?

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a widespread condition affecting women, marked by a combination of psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms that typically occur in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. These symptoms can significantly disrupt daily life, including academic performance and overall well-being. The intensity of PMS symptoms may be influenced by several factors, one of which is personality. This study explores the relationship between personality traits, particularly those identified in the Big Five model, and the severity of PMS symptoms among female medical students at Universitas Airlangga. This research utilized a correlational analytic design with a cross-sectional approach. The study sample comprised 91 female medical students from the 2022 cohort at Universitas Airlangga, selected using consecutive sampling. Data were collected through two questionnaires: the Premenstrual Syndrome Questionnaire (PSQ) to assess PMS severity, and the IPIP BFM-25 to measure personality traits based on the Big Five Personality Model. Spearman’s rank-order correlation was used to analyze the relationship between personality traits and PMS severity. 96% of participants reported PMS symptoms, with 51% experiencing moderate, 37% mild, and 8% severe symptoms. A significant positive correlation was found between neuroticism (r = 0.469, p < 0.001) and PMS severity, suggesting that higher emotional instability correlates with more severe PMS symptoms. A weak but significant correlation was also found between openness to experience and PMS severity (r = 0.256, p = 0.014). No significant relationships were observed between PMS severity and other personality traits such as conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. The study highlights that emotional traits, particularly neuroticism and openness to experience, play a significant role in PMS severity. Female medical students exhibiting higher neuroticism and openness are more likely to experience more intense PMS symptoms, emphasizing the importance of addressing emotional health and developing interventions for emotional regulation to mitigate PMS effects.

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