Depression, anxiety, and stress in polycystic ovary syndrome: understanding the impact of adult separation anxiety and uncertainty intolerance.

Abstract

Objective: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting up to 10% of women of reproductive age, with significant physical and psychological consequences. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of adult separation anxiety in women with PCOS. The secondary objective was to investigate the relationship between ASA (Adult Separation Anxiety) symptoms and the levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and intolerance of uncertainty.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 114 women with PCOS. Participants were administered the Sociodemographic Data Form, Adult Separation Anxiety Scale (ASA-27), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12). Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 with Mann-Whitney U, chi-square tests, and Spearman correlations (significance set at p < 0.05).

Results: The findings revealed that 28.9% of women with PCOS exhibited separation anxiety symptoms above the cut-off score of 25. These symptoms were significantly correlated with elevated levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and intolerance of uncertainty. Moreover, individuals with separation anxiety above the cut-off score demonstrated notably higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and intolerance of uncertainty compared to those below the cut-off score. They also exhibited greater rates of clinical symptoms such as weight gain, acne, and infertility, as well as higher levels of testosterone, DHEAS, and LH/FSH ratio.

Conclusion: Adult separation anxiety may be relatively common among women with PCOS and may be linked to both psychological distress and hormonal/metabolic characteristics.These findings suggest that considering ASA during psychological assessments of PCOS could be valuable and warrant further investigation through longitudinal research.