Survey study, 2025
Does PMS make teenage girls more anxious and reduce their quality of life?
Yes, PMS significantly increases social anxiety and reduces quality of life in teenage girls. The effect was stronger in urban areas and in school-going girls.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 566 teenage girls aged 13–16 from three districts in Punjab, Pakistan. Researchers used three questionnaires to measure PMS symptoms, social anxiety, and quality of life in girls from schools and religious schools.
What they found
PMS was more common in urban and religious school students. Social anxiety was higher in rural and school-going girls. Quality of life was lower in urban and school-going girls. PMS significantly contributed to both higher social anxiety and lower quality of life.
What it means for you
PMS affects both mental health and daily life quality in teenage girls, but the impact varies depending on whether girls live in urban or rural areas and what type of school they attend. The study was done in one region of Pakistan, so findings may not apply to girls in other countries. We cannot tell if PMS causes the anxiety or if they are just connected.
566
girls studied
13–16 years
age range
3
districts in Pakistan
About the study
- Original title
- Social Anxiety and Quality of Life among Female Adolescents with Premenstrual Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study
- Authors
- Misbah Arshad, Quratulaine Asim, Eshwa Akhtar Butt et al.
- Journal
- Research Journal of Psychology
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 566
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.59075/rjs.v3i3.192
Original abstract
This cross-sectional correlational study investigated the relationship between premenstrual syndrome (PMS), social anxiety, and quality of life (QOL) among adolescent females age ranging 13 to 16 from three districts in Punjab, Pakistan Gujrat, Jhelum, and Mandi Bahauddin. A total of 566 school and madrasah-going girls were selected through convenience sampling. Validated tools including the WHOQOL-BREF, Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, and the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale were used to assess respective variables. Data analysis via SPSS (Version 21) using non-parametric tests revealed significant variations across demographic and institutional lines. PMS symptoms were more prevalent among urban and madrasah students, while social anxiety was higher in rural and school-going girls. Furthermore, QOL was comparatively lower in urban and school populations. The findings highlighted that PMS significantly contributes to elevated social anxiety and reduced QOL, emphasizing the need for early awareness, mental health support, and targeted interventions for adolescent girls in diverse educational settings.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
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