Study, 2025
Do social workers know about PMS and PMDD, and do they ask mothers about these problems?
Most of the 521 social workers surveyed had little knowledge of PMS and PMDD even though many had experienced it themselves, and the 16 interviewed said they did not ask mothers about it even though they thought they should.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 521 Canadian social workers about their knowledge of PMS and PMDD. Then they interviewed 16 of these social workers in detail to understand their knowledge and whether they assess mothers for these conditions.
What they found
Four major themes emerged: 1) Many social workers had personal experience with PMS or PMDD; 2) Despite being highly educated, most had little knowledge of PMS and PMDD; 3) None recalled clients telling them about PMS or PMDD; 4) Although many thought PMS and PMDD should be included in assessing mothers, these social workers did not actually ask mothers about their experiences.
What it means for you
Even professionals who work with mothers and are well-educated don't know much about PMS and PMDD, and they aren't asking mothers about these problems. This means many mothers might not get help because social workers aren't thinking about it. A limit is this is only from Canada and only from social workers, so other types of healthcare providers might be different.
521
Social workers surveyed
16
Social workers interviewed in detail
About the study
- Original title
- “We Talk About Penises and Vaginas, But We Don’t Talk About PMS”: Canadian Social Workers’ Knowledge of Premenstrual Symptoms and Their Assessment Practices with Mothers
- Authors
- Lynn Barry, Leslie Maureen Tutty
- Journal
- Women s Reproductive Health
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 521
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/23293691.2025.2491005
Topics
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