Anxiety sensitivity, perceived stress, personality traits and premenstrual syndrome in young adult women healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

BackgroundPremenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common disorder affecting women of reproductive age. The severity and persistence of PMS may cause deterioration of physical, social and psychological balance and affect relationships and performance in the workplace.ObjectiveThe majority of those working in health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic were women therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the differences and relationship between anxiety sensitivity (AS), perceived stress, personality traits with and without the presence of PMS in young adult women healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic period.MethodsThis study consisted of 1008 participants. The following data were collected: PMS, AS Index-3, Perceived Stress Scale, Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, sociodemographic data, and menstruation characteristics.ResultsWomen with PMS had higher AS (27.64 ± 15.55 vs. 16.51 ± 11.20) and perceived stress (23.52 ± 6.67 vs. 19.16 ± 5.24) levels than women without PMS. The mean neuroticism (4.20 ± 1.72 vs. 3.19 ± 1.81) and psychoticism (1.74 ± 1.06 vs. 1.51 ± 1.24) scores were higher and the mean extraversion score (3.87 ± 1.73 vs. 3.98 ± 1.77) was lower in women with PMS than in those without PMS. PMSS exhibited a statistically significant, moderate, positive correlation with the ASI-3 (r = .414, p < .001) and PSS (r = .487, p < .001) scores. Furthermore, PMSS exhibited a weak positive correlation with the neuroticism (r = .236, p < .001) and psychoticism (r = .219, p < .001) subscales and a moderate negative correlation with the extraversion (r = -.560, p = .015) subscale. As the PMSS score increased, the ASI, PSS, neuroticism, and psychoticism scores increased. However, the extraversion score decreasedConclusionsYoung adult women will benefit from psychotherapeutic and educational interventions to manage PMS, which will minimize the number of physical and psychological issues they experience.