Nillni Yael I, Berenz Erin C, Pineles Suzanne L, Coffey Scott F, Zvolensky Michael J
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Sciences Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, and Boston University School of Medicine.
Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Psychol Trauma. 2014 Mar;6(2):167-175. doi: 10.1037/a0032087.
Experience of premenstrual symptoms may be an important factor involved in understanding posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom vulnerability. Correlations between PTSD and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) have been identified in epidemiological studies, however, the nature of this relation is not clear. The current study examined the incremental validity of premenstrual symptoms, as well as their interaction with anxiety sensitivity, in the prediction of PTSD symptom severity above and beyond other theoretically relevant covariates. A community sample of trauma-exposed women ( = 63) completed questionnaires assessing premenstrual symptoms, anxiety sensitivity, and neuroticism and were administered the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale to assess PTSD symptom severity. A series of hierarchical linear regressions revealed that premenstrual symptoms uniquely predicted PTSD total, reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms above and beyond other theoretically relevant covariates (i.e., number of potentially traumatic events, neuroticism, panic attack history, and anxiety sensitivity). Additionally, anxiety sensitivity emerged as a moderator of the association between premenstrual symptoms and PTSD symptom severity such that greater premenstrual symptoms were associated with greater PTSD total, reexperiencing, and numbing symptom severity for individuals high, but not low, in anxiety sensitivity. Experience of premenstrual symptoms may be an important sex-specific mechanism involved in increasing vulnerability for PTSD symptoms, particularly among women high in anxiety sensitivity.
经前症状体验可能是理解创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）症状易感性的一个重要因素。流行病学研究已确定PTSD与经前烦躁障碍（PMDD）之间存在关联，然而，这种关系的本质尚不清楚。本研究考察了经前症状的增量效度，以及它们与焦虑敏感性的相互作用，以预测PTSD症状严重程度，该预测独立于其他理论上相关的协变量。一个受创伤女性的社区样本（n = 63）完成了评估经前症状、焦虑敏感性和神经质的问卷，并接受了临床医生管理的PTSD量表以评估PTSD症状严重程度。一系列分层线性回归显示，经前症状独立预测了PTSD的总分、再体验症状、回避症状和过度警觉症状，独立于其他理论上相关的协变量（即潜在创伤事件的数量、神经质、惊恐发作史和焦虑敏感性）。此外，焦虑敏感性成为经前症状与PTSD症状严重程度之间关联的调节因素，即对于焦虑敏感性高而非低的个体，经前症状越严重，PTSD总分、再体验症状和麻木症状的严重程度就越高。经前症状体验可能是一种重要的性别特异性机制，它增加了PTSD症状的易感性，尤其是在焦虑敏感性高的女性中。
