Survey study, 1982
Do stressful life events affect PMS and menstrual symptoms?
The study found stressful life events were linked to worse premenstrual mood and menstrual symptoms, but the connection weakened significantly when only physical health stress was considered. The cross-sectional design means we cannot prove stress causes these symptoms.
What they did
Cross-sectional study where 179 women aged 18 to 35 filled out questionnaires about recent stressful events and menstrual symptoms during a home interview.
What they found
Stressful life event scores correlated with premenstrual negative mood, menstrual water retention, and performance impairment (trouble with activities). When health-related life events were controlled for separately, the correlation became much weaker, suggesting much of the effect may come from physical illness or injury rather than general stress.
What it means for you
Stress may be linked to menstrual and premenstrual symptoms, but the effect may largely come from physical health problems. The study was cross-sectional (measuring everything at one point in time), so it cannot prove stress causes these symptoms, and women reported all information together during an interview.
179
women studied
18-35
age range in years
About the study
- Original title
- Stressful life events and perimenstrual symptoms
- Authors
- Woods NF, Dery GK, Most A
- Journal
- Journal of human stress
- Year
- 1982
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 179
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/0097840x.1982.9936849
Topics
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