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Objectives: Discomfort intolerance a well-established psychological construct that was shown to be related to various anxiety disorders and depressive mood as well as functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) appeared in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition (DSM-5) under the category of mood disorders. Psychological factors in experiencing and expression of PMDD symptoms seem to be important area of research. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between the severity of the (psychological and physical) symptoms and discomfort intolerance in women with PMDD.
Methods: Thirty-three females, who were presented to either gynecology or psychiatry department of Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Education and Research Hospital with severe premenstrual symptoms and those their diagnoses were confirmed by a psychiatrist according to DSM-5 criteria for PMDD were included the study. A form for socio-demographics, Distress Intolerance Scale (DIS), and Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) were given to the participants.
Results: Mean age of the study group was 31.12±8.4 and the mean age at menarche was 13.15±1.48. Most of the women (72%) were at least high school graduates and about half of them (54.5%) were married. Total DIS scores were very high (19.23± 6.16) in the study group. DIS subscale-1 (withstanding to the discomfort) was significantly correlated with the insomnia item of the PSST; DIS subscale-2 (avoiding from discomfort) was correlated with tearful/increased sensitivity to rejection, depressed mood, and difficulty concentration items; and DIS total score was correlated with tearful/increased sensitivity to rejection, depressed mood, and insomnia items.
Conclusions: Discomfort intolerance levels mainly related some of the core symptoms of PMDD, namely increased sensitivity to rejection and depressed mood in women with PMDD. These preliminary results suggest that the core symptoms of PMDD rather than physical symptoms are related to discomfort intolerance. So discomfort intolerance might be a focus of interest for psychological interventions in the management of PMDD.