Do medical students with premenstrual syndrome have higher anxiety and depression?

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common disorder in women that decreases their emotional, behavioral, and physical functioning. It also affects their family relationships and social and educational activities. Recognizing the factors associated with PMS can be helpful in planning to alleviate the complication. The aim of this study was to investigate the anxiety and depression in medical students with premenstrual syndrome. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 300 students at Ilam University of Medical Sciences took part during three menstrual cycles from August to December in 2016. The participants were selected through convenient sampling. For data gathering, PSST screening questionnaires, Beck Depression Inventory, and Spielberger Anxiety Scale were utilized. Data analyses were done using T-test, Chi-square, and ANOVA in SPSS 19 (P<0.05). Results: Totally, 137 participants (44.7%) had premenstrual syndrome. This syndrome is more common in the age range 20-25 (61.9%) in unmarried girls (72.4%). Mean menstrual cycle length and bleeding duration were not significantly different between the two groups. The mean score of depression in students with and without PMS was 7.72±5.93 and 5.86±4.88 respectively. In addition, the mean score of anxiety in students with and without PMS was 44.47±7.21 and 42.32±5.74 respectively. Therefore, the two groups were significantly different in terms of depression (p=0.003) and anxiety (p=0.004). Conclusion: The symptoms of anxiety and depression are more common among young and unmarried students with premenstrual syndrome.

Reproduced under CC-BY.