Relationship among Cognitive Style, Perceived Stress and Premenstrual Symptoms

Kim, Ji Woong; Lee, Jung Hyun; Kim, Deok Man; Lee, Man Hong

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The cognitive model has been suggested to explain the pathogenesis of premenstrual syndrome. In this model, it is suggested that negative cognitive style may contribute to the experience of severe premenstrual symptoms. We conducted this study to examine the relationship among cognitive style, perceived stress, and premenstrual symptoms. METHOD: Eighty six reproductive aged women older than 18 years were included in this study, to complete the Premenstrual Assessment form, Korean version of automatic thoughts Ques-tionnaire-Positive, Korean version of Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Negative, Korean version of Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, Perceived Stress Questionnaire. Among the subjects, twenty one were diagnosed to have a premenstrual dysphoric disorder which was determined by prospective assessment for two months. The relationships among the variables were analyzed by examining Pearson correlation coefficiency. REULTS: In the subjects without premenstrual dysphoric disorder, there exist significant correlation between the premenstrual symptom and the score of Korean-version of automatic thoughts Questionnaire-Negative(r=.36, p<.01). In the subjects with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, premenstrual symptoms had significant correlation to automatic thoughts Questionnaire-Negative(r=.65, p<.01) and Perceived Stress Questionnaire(r=.52, p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
Our findings show the significant relationship between negative cognitive style and premenstrual symptoms. This relationship was more prominent in the subjects with premenstrual dysphoric disorder compared to ones without it. Our findings suggest that cognitive style and stress perception may influence on the severity of symptoms of premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and that cognitive behavior therapy is a possible effective therapeutic strategy for those with severe premenstrual symptoms.