Many women self-report discomfort, depression, mood changes, and irritability in conjunction with menstruation which has been termed Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Prior to the creation of the disease/disorder category PMS, disorders with similar symptoms like “hysteria” and “involutional melancholia” were ascribed to women reporting those types of complaints. These diagnoses were based on archaic claims about women’s anatomy and behavior. Modern medical researchers contend that women’s complaints have a physiological basis, yet they cannot definitively tie PMS to any specific physiological etiological pathway, either hormonal or neurological. This thesis explores the argument that the social norms for women’s roles and their associated behaviors are related to the appearance of a disease/disorder category named PMS in the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of women’s complaints may instead be symptoms of social problems (with social remedies) related to role conflict or role strain.
","abstract_html":"<p>Many women self-report discomfort, depression, mood changes, and irritability in conjunction with menstruation which has been termed Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Prior to the creation of the disease/disorder category PMS, disorders with similar symptoms like “hysteria” and “involutional melancholia” were ascribed to women reporting those types of complaints. These diagnoses were based on archaic claims about women’s anatomy and behavior. Modern medical researchers contend that women’s complaints have a physiological basis, yet they cannot definitively tie PMS to any specific physiological etiological pathway, either hormonal or neurological. This thesis explores the argument that the social norms for women’s roles and their associated behaviors are related to the appearance of a disease/disorder category named PMS in the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of women’s complaints may instead be symptoms of social problems (with social remedies) related to role conflict or role strain.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kreyenbuhl-Gardner, Kathryn M."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - restricted","degree_discipline":"Sociology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2003,"date_issued":"2003-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2003-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:21Z","subjects":["menstruation","premenstrual syndrome","premenstrual dysphoric disorder","hysteria","culture-bound syndrome","menopause","and medicalization","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/811","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kreyenbuhl-Gardner, Kathryn M."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1990-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2003-12-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Sociology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - restricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["menstruation","premenstrual syndrome","premenstrual dysphoric disorder","hysteria","culture-bound syndrome","menopause","and medicalization","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/1968/viewcontent/KreyenbuhlKM120803f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/811"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Many women self-report discomfort, depression, mood changes, and irritability in conjunction with menstruation which has been termed Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Prior to the creation of the disease/disorder category PMS, disorders with similar symptoms like “hysteria” and “involutional melancholia” were ascribed to women reporting those types of complaints. These diagnoses were based on archaic claims about women’s anatomy and behavior. Modern medical researchers contend that women’s complaints have a physiological basis, yet they cannot definitively tie PMS to any specific physiological etiological pathway, either hormonal or neurological. This thesis explores the argument that the social norms for women’s roles and their associated behaviors are related to the appearance of a disease/disorder category named PMS in the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of women’s complaints may instead be symptoms of social problems (with social remedies) related to role conflict or role strain.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Sociological Analysis of Premenstrual Syndrome."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Kreyenbuhl-Gardner, Kathryn M."],"dc:date.available":["1990-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2003-12-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Many women self-report discomfort, depression, mood changes, and irritability in conjunction with menstruation which has been termed Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Prior to the creation of the disease/disorder category PMS, disorders with similar symptoms like “hysteria” and “involutional melancholia” were ascribed to women reporting those types of complaints. These diagnoses were based on archaic claims about women’s anatomy and behavior. Modern medical researchers contend that women’s complaints have a physiological basis, yet they cannot definitively tie PMS to any specific physiological etiological pathway, either hormonal or neurological. This thesis explores the argument that the social norms for women’s roles and their associated behaviors are related to the appearance of a disease/disorder category named PMS in the United Kingdom and the United States. Many of women’s complaints may instead be symptoms of social problems (with social remedies) related to role conflict or role strain.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/1968/viewcontent/KreyenbuhlKM120803f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/811"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["menstruation","premenstrual syndrome","premenstrual dysphoric disorder","hysteria","culture-bound syndrome","menopause","and medicalization","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"],"dc:title":["A Sociological Analysis of Premenstrual Syndrome."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Sociology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - restricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MA (Master of Arts)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:21Z"}