Comparison of personality profiles of premenstrual syndrome and chronic pelvic pain patients

Abstract

Presenting complaints of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and chronic pelvic pain (CPP) are often considered to have a significant psychological component. Women seeking treatment for either are often referred for non-specific psychological treatment as if they constituted a homogeneous group. Since motivation for treatment is usually enhanced by recognition of a connection between problems and treatment interventions, the purpose of this study was to explore whether any unique pyschological patterns are associated with these groups. MMPI personality profiles of 100 PMS and 106 CPP women were compared. PMS and CPP groups were significantly different on Scales L, K, Hs, Mf, Pa, Pt and Si (p <0.01) and on Scale D (p <0.05). Distribution of diagnostic categories based on the Lachar classification system was also significantly different (p <0.05). The results suggest that PMS women may be more receptive to therapeutic approaches focused on the alleviation of negative emotional states, whereas CPP women are likely ...