Personality and primary dysmenorrhea: a study using a five-factor model in Chinese university women

Objectives: Whether primary dysmenorrhea sufferers have different personality traits such as those defined by the five-factor model is unclear. Methods: We applied the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) and the Functional and Emotional Measure of Dysmenorrhea (FEMD) in 49 university women with primary dysmenorrhea but without anxiety or depressive disorders and in 142 healthy university women. Depressive tendency was measured by the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP) and pain severity-by a Visual Analogue Scale. Results: The dysmenorrhea group scored higher than the healthy control group did on two FEMD scales, ZKPQ Neuroticism-Anxiety and Impulsive Sensation Seeking scales, visual analogue scale and PVP. In the dysmenorrhea group, the FEMD Emotional scale was positively correlated with the ZKPQ Activity scale. Conclusion: Our study, using a pure group of women with dysmenorrhea, has shown that this disorder is characterized by increased Neuroticism-Anxiety and Impulsive Sensation Seeking.