Title: Development and Evaluation of an Intervention Package to Alleviate the Psychological
Effects of Premenstrual Syndrome in Adolescent Girls
Version: 1 Date: 03 Feb 2025
Reviewer:  Arash Khalili
Reviewer's report:
Areas for Improvement:
Sample Size and Diversity: The relatively small sample size (n = 30) limits the generalizability
of the findings. Future studies should aim for larger and more diverse samples, including
participants from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Long-Term Follow-Up: While the study includes a three-month follow-up, a longer follow-up
period (e.g., six months or one year) would provide more robust evidence of the intervention's
long-term effectiveness.
Reflective Pondering: The lack of significant improvement in reflective pondering is an
unexpected finding that warrants further investigation. The authors suggest that mindfulness-
based approaches might be more effective in addressing this construct, which could be explored
in future research.
Gender Sensitivity: While the intervention is gender-sensitive, the study focuses exclusively on
adolescent girls. Exploring the applicability of similar interventions to other gender identities or
non-binary individuals could provide a more inclusive understanding of PMS management.
Environmental Factors: The study does not account for environmental factors such as
social support, academic stress, or family dynamics, which could influence PMS symptoms.
Incorporating these factors into future research could provide a more comprehensive
understanding of the intervention's effectiveness.
Specific Comments:
Introduction:
The introduction provides a thorough background on PMS and its psychological effects,
effectively setting the stage for the study. However, the authors could briefly mention the
prevalence of PMS in other cultural contexts to highlight the global relevance of the issue.
Methodology:
The methodology is well-described, but the authors should clarify the ethical approval process,
including the name of the ethics committee that approved the study.
The inclusion and exclusion criteria are appropriate, but the authors could provide more details
on how PMS diagnosis was confirmed (e.g., specific diagnostic criteria or tools used).
Results:
The results are clearly presented, with detailed statistical analyses. However, the authors should
consider including effect sizes for all significant findings to provide a more comprehensive
understanding of the intervention's impact.
The lack of significant change in reflective pondering is an interesting finding. The authors
should discuss potential reasons for this in more depth, including the possibility that reflective
pondering may not be a maladaptive process in this population.
Discussion:
The discussion effectively interprets the findings and situates them within the broader literature.
However, the authors could expand on the theoretical implications of combining CBT and
Narrative Therapy, particularly in terms of how these approaches complement each other.
The suggestion to incorporate booster sessions is a valuable recommendation. The authors could
provide more specific guidance on how these sessions might be structured and implemented.
Conclusion:
The conclusion succinctly summarizes the study's findings and implications. However, the
authors should emphasize the potential for future research to explore the intervention's
applicability in other cultural contexts and with diverse populations.