SHORT REPORT
Prevalence of self-reported premenstrual psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 quarantine: An exploratory cross-sectional study
1
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
2
Territorial Psychology Unit, Department of Mental Health – Pathological Addictions, Health Authority (AUSL), Bologna, Italy
3
Villa Baruzziana, Psychiatric Hospital, Bologna, Italy
Submission date: 2025-05-31
Final revision date: 2025-09-20
Acceptance date: 2025-09-29
Online publication date: 2025-12-10
Publication date: 2026-01-28
Corresponding author
Health Psychology Report 2026;14(1):92-98
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe mood-related condition affecting 3-8% of women of reproductive age. It is characterized by affective, cognitive, and physical symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and resolve shortly after menstruation.
Participants and procedure:
This study explored the prevalence of self-reported psychological symptoms consistent with PMDD criteria among Italian women during the COVID-19 quarantine. We conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey, which included items based on DSM-5 symptom criteria, in May 2020, using Google Forms.
Results:
A total of 109 women were enrolled; 77% of the sample reported suffering from premenstrual symptoms. Approximately 36.7% of respondents reported experiencing at least five symptoms, including one core affective symptom.
Conclusions:
The results of this study are not consistent with the existing literature. These findings highlight the need for greater atten-tion to women’s mental health during periods of heightened stress.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe mood-related condition affecting 3-8% of women of reproductive age. It is characterized by affective, cognitive, and physical symptoms that occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and resolve shortly after menstruation.
Participants and procedure:
This study explored the prevalence of self-reported psychological symptoms consistent with PMDD criteria among Italian women during the COVID-19 quarantine. We conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey, which included items based on DSM-5 symptom criteria, in May 2020, using Google Forms.
Results:
A total of 109 women were enrolled; 77% of the sample reported suffering from premenstrual symptoms. Approximately 36.7% of respondents reported experiencing at least five symptoms, including one core affective symptom.
Conclusions:
The results of this study are not consistent with the existing literature. These findings highlight the need for greater atten-tion to women’s mental health during periods of heightened stress.
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Copyright: © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
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