How does premenstrual syndrome affect occupational performance?

INTRODUCTION: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a condition that affects the quality of life and occupational participation of reproductive age women. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PMS severity and occupational performance, meaningful time use, and quality of life and to compare these parameters between women with and without PMS. METHODS: Fifty-three women with and without PMS were included in this cross-sectional research. Presence and severity of PMS, occupational problems, daily activity preferences, and quality of life were assessed by the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS), Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Modified Occupational Questionnaire (MOQ), and 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), respectively. The Spearman's rank correlation test was used for the relationship, and the Mann–Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for the differences between groups. A significance level of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the total 53 women involved in this study, 71.7% experienced PMS. For the women with PMS, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the total duration of MOQ-obligatory activities and the MOQ-value (rho = 0.430, p = 0.007) and the COPM performance score (rho 0.330, p = 0.046). The results indicated that there was a significant negative correlation between the SF-12 physical and PMSS score (rho = -0.322, p = 0.048). A statistically significant difference was observed in PMSS (p < 0.001) and MOQ value (p = 0.019) scores, with women with PMS scoring higher than those without. CONCLUSION: Although no direct differences in occupational performance were observed between women with and without PMS, the time-use preferences and value perceptions of women experiencing PMS may influence occupational performance in distinct ways. Our findings suggest that maintaining a daily routine has a positive impact on performance among women with PMS, whereas increasing symptom severity is associated with a decline in quality of life.