Survey study, 2021
Are PMS and depression the same condition?
No, they are separate conditions. Women fell into different groups with PMS only, depression only, both, or neither, showing they are independent.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 701 Chinese university students. Researchers measured self-reported PMS and depression symptoms using two questionnaires.
What they found
Four distinct groups emerged: 57.2% with low symptoms, 11.3% predominantly PMS, 23.7% predominantly depression, and 7.8% combined PMS-depression. Age, first menstrual experience, and personality factors predicted group membership.
What it means for you
PMS is independent from depression, not a variant. The study only looked at one point in time at one university, cannot track changes over time, and relies on self-reported symptoms which can be biased.
57.2%
had low symptoms
11.3%
had predominantly PMS
7.8%
had combined PMS-depression
About the study
- Original title
- Patterns of premenstrual syndrome and depression symptoms in Chinese female university students: Results of a latent profile analysis
- Authors
- Hou L, Zhou R
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 701
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.06.017
Topics
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