---
title: Is premenstrual affective syndrome linked to sexual trauma in psychiatric patients?
description: In psychiatric inpatients, women with premenstrual affective syndrome were much more likely to have abnormal sexual histories, including trauma, compared to w
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/sexual-histories-and-premenstrual-affective-syndrome-in-psychiatric-inpatients-1982/
---

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- Is premenstrual affective syndrome linked to sexual trauma in psychiatric patients?

Study, 1982

# Is premenstrual affective syndrome linked to sexual trauma in psychiatric patients?

In psychiatric inpatients, women with premenstrual affective syndrome were much more likely to have abnormal sexual histories, including trauma, compared to women without premenstrual affective syndrome.

 Early or limited evidence

45 female psychiatric inpatients with schizophrenia, depression, borderline personality disorder, or both

## What they did

Researchers examined 45 female hospital patients with schizophrenia, depression, borderline personality disorder, or both. They assessed whether each woman met criteria for premenstrual affective syndrome and reviewed her sexual history.

## What they found

Of the 45 women, 28 met criteria for premenstrual affective syndrome. Of those 28, 16 had abnormal sexual histories. Only 1 of the 17 women without premenstrual affective syndrome had an abnormal sexual history. Among the 12 women who had both depression and borderline personality disorder, 9 had both premenstrual affective syndrome and abnormal sexual histories. All 6 women who had been raped met criteria for premenstrual affective syndrome.

## What it means for you

This suggests a link between premenstrual affective syndrome and sexual trauma. The main limitation is that this studied only psychiatric hospital patients, who may differ from women in the general population. We cannot determine whether trauma causes symptoms, symptoms cause trauma effects, or another factor causes both.

45

women studied

28

with premenstrual affective syndrome

16

of the 28 had abnormal sexual histories

## About the study

Original title Sexual histories and premenstrual affective syndrome in psychiatric inpatients Authors Friedman RC, Hurt SW, Clarkin J et al. Journal The American journal of psychiatry Year 1982 Study design Study Participants 17 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1176/ajp.139.11.1484](https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.139.11.1484)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Borderline personality disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bpd/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Schizophrenia and psychosis](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-psychosis/)

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