Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Aggressive Behavior in Nursing Students

Introduction: Violence is a public problem of high priority for society, policymakers and academics because of the considerable damage to people and communities.Objective: Determine the association between premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and aggressive behavior (AB) in Nursing students.Materials and methods: An analytical non-paired case-control, observational, basic study was carried out in a population of 324 students from the Faculty of Nursing. The sample was made up of 33 cases and 99 controls aged from 18 to 29 years with a history of menarchy. The case group consisted of students who obtained an average score above the 75^thpercentile (33.5 points) in two evaluations using the Aggressive Behavior Rating Scale, and the control group was made up of those students who obtained a score equal to or lower than 75^thpercentile. AB was assessed using the Aggression Questionnaire and PMDD using the DSM-V criteria.Results: The median age was 22 in both groups (p>0.05). AB was individually associated with PMDD (p=0.011; cOR=2.91 [95% CI=1.25–6.79]) and family dysfunction (FD) (p=0.016; cOR=3.18 [95% CI] %=1.20–8.40]). In the multivariate analysis, both variables reduced the strength of individual association (ORa=2.76 [FD]; ORa=2.50 [PMDD]). In students without a history of family violence (FV), the strength of association between AB and PMDD increased (aOR=3.987; 95% CI=1.57-10.10; p=0.002).Conclusion: PMDD could be an explanatory variable for AB in fertile-age women.