title: Comparison of self-assessment of premenstrual symptoms with scores on the modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire.
abstract: Premenstrual symptoms were assessed in a sample of 267 women (M age 31.4 yr.) using a single self-identification question and the modified Menstrual Distress Questionnaire of Clare and Wiggins. The-self-identification question asked to what degree the women experienced premenstrual symptoms. The responses were 34 (13%) for none, 116 (43%) for slight, 99 (37%) for moderate, and 18 (7%) for severe. The mean score on the questionnaire was 23.5 (SD = 17.5). Correlations indicated significant relationships between self-identification and questionnaire scores (rho = .76, p < .001). When the women were classified according to Clare's (1983) criterion, almost a third of them assessed their symptoms differently, i.e., while they classified themselves as "nonsufferers" on the self-identification question, their responses on the questionnaire identified them as "sufferers."
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia. BHS@LATROBE.EDU.AU
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kirkby
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Picone
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lindner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012803:Sick Role