Linda Z. Moghadam

Psychosocial correlates of premenstrual dysphoric subtypes

ABSTRACT— A modified version of the Premenstrual Assessment Form (PAF) was administered to 737 military wives as part of a study of stress and well being. A factor analysis of the responses suggests three main subtypes of premenstrual change — hostile depressive, atypical depressive, and anxious — as well as two minor subtypes — organic and hypomanic. Demographic and psychosocial correlates of factor scores are discussed.

Relationship Between Premenstrual Symptoms and General Well-Being

Data on the general well-being and premenstrual symptoms of military wives were collected on two occasions one year apart. The womens general well-being and premenstrual symptoms were highly correlated on both occasions, but an even higher correlation was found between the presence of premenstrual symptoms at time 1 and the presence of premenstrual symptoms at time 2. Further analyses revealed that women with higher scores on general well-being and premenstrual symptoms were older and reported fewer cognitive depressive symptoms than women with lower scores on general well-being and premenstrual symptoms. At the one-year follow-up, the women with lower scores on general well-being who complained of premenstrual symptoms were more depressed than those who did not.