The Effect of Cognitive-behavioral Counseling on the Resilience of Female Adolescents with Premenstrual Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the causes of poor performance in women, with direct and indirect adverse effects on their marital, family, and social life. This study aimed to examine the effect of cognitive-behavioral counseling on resilience in adolescent girls with PMS.

Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from February to May 2018 on 15-17-year-old girl adolescents in Hamadan high schools. Using the block randomization method and the block size of 10, we randomly assigned 120 participants with moderate to severe PMS into intervention (N=60) and control groups (N=60). Participants in the intervention group received eight 60-minute cognitive-behavioral counseling sessions for 8 weeks, and the control group received no intervention. Data were gathered using demographic questionnaire, Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool, and the Connor-Davidson resilience scale. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16. The Chi-square, independent-samples t-test, and paired t-tests were used to analyze the data. P values <0.05 were considered significant.

Results: The mean total resilience score and all its dimensions increased in the intervention group 3 months after the intervention (P<0.05). Mean scores of total resilience and all subscales except spiritual influences showed statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups 3 months after the intervention (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral counseling can improve resilience in female adolescents with moderate to severe PMS. It is recommended that school counselors can use cognitive-behavioral counseling to improve the resilience of girls with moderate to severe PMS.Trial Registration Number: IRCT2015052615341N6.