Mental Health as Assessed by the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) Scores in Women with and Without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

TL;DR

Women with PCOS show higher levels of psychological symptoms like anxiety and depression compared to healthy women, according to a study using the SCL-90 questionnaire.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the reliability of the SCL-90 in assessing mental health in PCOS patients and identifies key psychological factors influencing their symptoms.

Findings

PCOS women had significantly higher SCL-90 scores in seven subscales and three global indices compared to controls.

Psychological symptoms were positively correlated with perceived stress and helplessness, and negatively with self-efficacy.

The study highlights the need for emotional support and improved coping strategies for women with PCOS.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with an elevated risk of impaired mental health and psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Physical factors like weight and hirsutism, as well as psychological factors, such as self-esteem and coping strategies, are all known to have an influence on mental health status. Aim: To assess psychological symptoms in women with and without PCOS, by use of the well-established, validated self-report questionnaire: Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90); to determine the reliability of the SCL-90 for assessment of PCOS patients. Design: Prospective case-control study. Methods: Psychological symptoms were assessed using the German version of the SCL-90 in 31 PCOS women and 31 healthy controls. To test the impact of various parameters on numerical outcome parameters, correlation analyses were conducted. Results: PCOS women revealed significantly increased SCL-90 scores in seven out of the nine subscales (hostility subscale, anxiety subscale, depression subscale, paranoid ideation subscale, psychoticism subscale, somatization subscale, interpersonal sensitivity subscale, obsessive compulsive subscale), as well as in all three global indices (p < 0.05). SCL-90 scores were significantly positively correlated with perceived total stress and perceived helplessness and significantly negatively correlated with perceived self-efficacy (p < 0.05). Conclusions: PCOS women experienced higher levels of psychological symptoms including depressive and anxiety symptoms. Higher perceived stress, higher perceived helplessness and lower self-efficacy were associated with more psychological symptoms. Hence, there is a need to support PCOS women with their emotional regulation and coping strategies.