The Association Between Neuroticism and Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Premenstrual syndrome includes physical and mental symptoms occurring cyclically during the secretory phase. The present study aimed to specify the association between neuroticism and the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 223 students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2019 November 17. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to analyze the relationship between qualitative variables; stepwise logistic regression was employed to assess the factors affecting the syndrome symptoms, and Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the scores of the Daily Record of Severity of Problems chart in two groups. Findings: 223 female students completed the first stage information. The mean score of the questionnaire was 151.72±100.11. Moreover, 77.6% of the students had the syndrome. The severity of symptoms was mild, moderate, severe, and highly severe in 53.6, 42, 3.6, and 0.7%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between premenstrual syndrome and neuroticism scores. Students with PMS had higher scores in all of the subscales (neuroticism including anxiety, stress, despair,..) (P<0.001). Conclusion: It seems that there is a relationship between neuroticism (anxiety, stress, despair) and the severity of PMS symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended that therapists and counselors consider these factors to treat and mitigate the severity of PMS symptoms.

Factors Associated with Premenstrual Syndrome among Nursing Students Based on the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms

“…The results of regression analysis showed that neuroticism and stress were positively correlated with PMS, which corresponded with prior research [54,[69][70][71]. The more neurotic an individual is, the more likely they are to experience PMS.…”

“…The more neurotic an individual is, the more likely they are to experience PMS. Neuroticism is the personality trait that refers to the tendency to be emotionally sensitive, moody, easily anxious, depressed, overly worried, and susceptible to negative emotions [54,69,70]. Higher levels of neuroticism are associated with more negative moods in daily life and more life stress [70], which may lead to more negative responses to premenstrual physical symptoms and attitudes toward menstruation, higher perceived depression and stress, and more PMS.…”