--- title: Are childhood trauma and stress linked to PMDD? | Niyora description: Yes. Sexual and psychological abuse in childhood, plus current stress, increase PMDD risk mainly through depression. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-and-childhood-maltreatment-adulthood-stressful-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Are childhood trauma and stress linked to PMDD? Survey study, 2021 # Are childhood trauma and stress linked to PMDD? Yes. Sexual and psychological abuse in childhood, plus current stress, increase PMDD risk mainly through depression. Early or limited evidence Lebanese university female students ## What they did Cross-sectional online survey of Lebanese university students from February to March 2021 during COVID-19. Participants completed questionnaires about childhood maltreatment, life stressors, depression, and PMDD symptoms. Researchers used statistical modeling to examine how these factors relate. ## What they found Sexual abuse (Beta = 0.11), psychological abuse (Beta = 0.11), and depression (Beta = 0.37) were linked to higher PMDD. Depression explained the link between psychological abuse and PMDD (Beta = 0.22) and between sexual abuse and PMDD (Beta = 0.38). All three types of childhood abuse (physical Beta = 0.19, sexual Beta = 0.18, psychological Beta = 0.33) linked to depression. Current stressful life events (Beta = 0.18) also linked to depression. ## What it means for you Trauma in childhood and current stress may increase PMDD through depression. The study only included Lebanese university students during the pandemic and shows associations, not proof of cause and effect. 0.37 Depression's strength of link to PMDD 0.38 Sexual abuse's indirect effect on PMDD through depression 0.33 Psychological abuse's strength of link to depression ## About the study Original title Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and childhood maltreatment, adulthood stressful life events and depression among Lebanese university students: a structural equation modeling approach Authors Younes Y, Hallit S, Obeid S Journal BMC psychiatry Year 2021 Study design Survey study What was tested None; observational study of associations Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03567-7](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03567-7) Original abstract Background: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a cyclic sequence of physical and behavioral symptoms that arise in the second half of the menstrual cycle. The extreme type of PMS is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). The current study aims at examining 1) the effects of childhood maltreatment and current life's stressful events on PMDD, and 2) the mediating role of depression in these associations among Lebanese university female students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lebanese students were recruited using a snowball technique from all national universities in Lebanon via an auto-administrated online survey. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine the structural relationship between childhood maltreatment and life's stressful events, depression and PMDD. Results: Higher life's stressful events (Beta = 0.18; p < 0.001), physical (Beta = 0.19; p < 0.001), sexual (Beta = 0.18; p < 0.001) and psychological (Beta = 0.33; p < 0.001) abuse were significantly associated with higher depression. Moreover, higher sexual (Beta = 0.11; p = 0.021) and psychological (Beta = 0.11; p = 0.040) abuse and higher depression (Beta = 0.37; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with higher PMDD. The indirect relationships between psychological abuse/sexual abuse, depression and PMDD showed that depression mediated the association between both psychological (Beta = 0.22; p = 0.001) and sexual (Beta = 0.38; p = 0.004) abuse and PMDD. Conclusion: This work presents a unique analysis using the structural equation model that enlightens the effect of childhood maltreatment, particularly sexual and psychological abuse on PMMD symptoms, with depression playing the role of a mediating factor. It would be interesting to test, in future studies, whether there are other mediating factors besides depression that could be indirect indicators of PMDD. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[PTSD and trauma](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-ptsd-trauma/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2025 Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD? 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