The Effect of Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Female University Students

Perceived Stress, Body Mass Index and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to assess perceived stress and Body Mass Index (BMI) on premenstrual dysphoric
disorder symptoms among young female university students. University life contains a lot of stress, including
exams, career and other interpersonal relationships with colleagues and teachers. The current study aims to
find the association between perceived stress and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).
Study Design: A cross-sectional quantitative study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Clinical Psychology Shifa Tameere-Millet University Islamabad from February 2021 to June 2021. Data was collected from different universities in Islamabad, which include Shifa Tameer-e-Millet University, Bahria University, Islamic university, Air University, NUST, and Quaid-e-Azam University.
Materials and Methods: An online survey was carried out among female university students in the universities
of Islamabad. A Questionnaire was developed, which comprised three separate sections. Demographics sheets
were used for demographic variables. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder symptoms were assessed based on the
scoring of the Carolina Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Scale. A perceived stress scale is used to measure
stress levels. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the effects of variables. BMI was calculated
with the formula of WHO.
Results: The study was conducted on 210 female university students of the Islamabad age range (18-30). The
results of the regression analysis indicated that two predictors of this study explained 34% of the variance in our 2 outcome variable (R² =.349). It was found that perceived stress, but not body mass index, was a significant
predictor of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (ß = 0.582, p<.05), whereby for each unit increase in perceived
stress, the premenstrual dysphoric disorder increased by 0.58 units.
Conclusion: This study has shown that young female adults become more vulnerable to developing symptoms
of premenstrual dysphoric disorder due to perceived stress which may affect academic, financial, and familial
relationships. The female adults with these symptoms should be addressed by providing them with medical
and psychological support.

How to cite this: Hameed M, Fatima M. The Effect of Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index on Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder among Female University Students. Life and Science. 2022; 3(4): 178-182. doi: http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.227