⚠ Official Notice: www.ijisrt.com is the official website of the International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT) Journal for research paper submission and publication. Please beware of fake or duplicate websites using the IJISRT name.



Psychological Distress, Quality of Life, and Eating Disorder Risk in Women with PCOS: A Case-Control Study


Authors : Shraddha Shivakumar; Asna Urooj

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2eusf7dt

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yncuux34

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr2323

PlumX Metrics

Semantic Scholar

ResearchGate

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with significant psychological morbidity, yet limited research exists on mental health and eating behaviors in Indian women with PCOS. This study examined mental health outcomes, quality of life, and predictors of disordered eating in women with PCOS from Mysuru, Karnataka, South India, compared to healthy controls. This case-control study included 100 women with PCOS and 101 healthy controls with comparable age distributions. Participants completed the PCOS Questionnaire (PCOSQ), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Hierarchical regression and serial mediation (PROCESS Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap samples) were conducted to examine predictors of disordered eating and mediating pathways. Women with PCOS had significantly higher BMI and were more likely to be obese compared to controls. No significant group differences were observed in depression or anxiety scores.

Keywords : Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Mental Health, Quality of Life, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Body Image, India.

References :

  1. Bozdag G, Mumusoglu S, Zengin D, Karabulut E, Yildiz BO. The prevalence and phenotypic features of polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic  review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod. 2016 Dec;31(12):2841–55. doi:10.1093/humrep/dew218 PubMed PMID: 27664216
  2. Azziz R, Carmina E, Chen Z, Dunaif A, Laven JSE, Legro RS, et al. Polycystic ovary syndrome. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.57 PubMed PMID: 27510637.
  3. Atinga A, Bashiru HA, Solomon AO, Oghide O, Adufe I, Aduroja PE, et al. Depression and anxiety among women with polycystic ovarian syndrome in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Glob Womens Health.2025;6(November).doi:10.3389/fgwh.2025.1688913
  4. Soni R, Laddad MM. Mental Health and Body Image Concerns in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome : A Profile of Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem. Vol. 13. 2024;13(3):6042–55.
  5. Broughton S, Armeni E, Chu A, Yee ALJ, Manta A, Baig SA, et al. The association between body image and well-being in polycystic ovary syndrome: a mixed-methods study. Eur J Endocrinol. 2026;194(2):233–41. doi:10.1093/ejendo/lvag023 PubMed PMID: 41656064.
  6. Lalonde-Bester S, Malik M, Masoumi R, Ng K, Sidhu S, Ghosh M, et al. Prevalence and Etiology of Eating Disorders in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Scoping Review. Advances in Nutrition. 2024;15(4):100193. doi:10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100193 PubMed PMID: 38408541.
  7. Alur-Gupta S, Chemerinski A, Liu C, Lipson J, Allison K, Sammel MD, et al. Body-image distress is increased in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and mediates depression and anxiety. Fertil Steril. 2019;112(5):930-938.e1. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2019.06.018 PubMed PMID: 31395311.
  8. Ganie MA, Vasudevan V, Wani IA, Baba MS, Arif T, Rashid A. Epidemiology, pathogenesis, genetics & management of polycystic ovary syndrome in  India. Indian J Med Res. 2019 Oct;150(4):333–44. doi:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1937_17 PubMed PMID: 31823915.
  9. The Rotterdam ESHRE/ASRM-Sponsored PCOS Consensus Workshop Group. Revised 2003 consensus on diagnostic criteria and long- term health risks related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Human Reproduction. 2004;19(1):41–7. doi:10.1093/humrep/deh098
  10. Erdfelder E, FAul F, Buchner A, Lang AG. Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behav Res Methods. 2009;41(4):1149–60. doi:10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149 PubMed PMID: 19897823.
  11. Habib S, Anwar A, Hoda F, Verma R, Akhtar M, Najmi AK. Prevalence of depression, anxiety and Quality of life among North Indian Polycystic ovary syndrome Women: Evidence from a prospective observational study. Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol. 2021;10(12):1360. doi:10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20214500
  12. Hayes AF. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press; 2018.
  13. Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS. Using Multivariate Statistics. 7th ed. Boston, USA: Pearson; 2019.
  14. Ayoub S, Raja R. Economic parameter of modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic status scale for the year 2023. Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine. 2023;10(2):99–101. doi:10.18231/j.ijfcm.2023.017
  15. World Health Organization. The Asia-Pacific perspective: redefining obesity and its treatment. Health Communications Australia, Sydney. 2000.
  16. Cronin L, Guyatt G, Griffith L, Wong E, Azziz R, Futterweit W, et al. Development of a health-related quality-of-life questionnaire (PCOSQ) for women  with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Jun;83(6):1976–87. doi:10.1210/jcem.83.6.4990 PubMed PMID: 9626128.
  17. Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606–13. doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x PubMed PMID: 11556941.
  18. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006 May;166(10):1092–7. doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092 PubMed PMID: 16717171.
  19. Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, Garfinkel PE. The eating attitudes test: psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med. 1982 Nov;12(4):871–8. doi:10.1017/s0033291700049163 PubMed PMID: 6961471.
  20. Anjana K, Bharti DA, Bharti A. Beyond the Physical: Mental Health and Quality of Life in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Journal of Indian Academy of Applied Psychology. 2026;52(1):290–300.
  21. Joshi B, Patil A, Kokate PP, Akula AJ, Shaikh SA, Tandon D, et al. Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life Using PCOSQ Tool, Its Determinants and Coping Mechanisms Used by Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Attending Multidisciplinary Clinic in Mumbai, India. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India. 2023;73(2):172–9. doi:10.1007/s13224-022-01723-x
  22. Stefanaki K, Karagiannakis DS, Raftopoulou M, Psaltopoulou T, Paschou SA, Ilias I. Obesity and hyperandrogenism are implicated with anxiety, depression and food cravings in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Endocrine. 2023;82(1):201–8. doi:10.1007/s12020-023-03436-1 PubMed PMID: 37389719.
  23. Tripathi S, Singh M, Jain M, Srivastava M. Dietary Intake and Risk of Eating Disorder among Different Phenotypes of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (IJSDR). 2022;7(6):121–5.
  24. Barberis N, Calaresi D, Cannavò M, Verrastro V. Body mass index and quality of life in individuals with polycystic ovary  syndrome: Dysmorphic concerns and eating disorders as mediators. Front Public Health. 2022;10:962083. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.962083 PubMed PMID: 36276397.
  25. Zhang Z, Liu M, Zhao F, Chen H, Chen X. Fertility Stress, Psychological Resilience, and Depressive Symptoms in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Cureus. 2024;16(9). doi:10.7759/cureus.70352
  26. Dokras A, Stener-Victorin E, Yildiz BO, Li R, Ottey S, Shah D, et al. Androgen Excess- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Society: position statement on depression, anxiety, quality of life, and eating disorders in polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil Steril. 2018;109(5):888–99. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.01.038 PubMed PMID: 29778388.
  27. Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven JJE, Dokras A, Moran LJ, Piltonen TT, et al. Recommendations From the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2023;108(10):2447–69. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgad463 PubMed PMID: 37580314.
  1. Gautam R, Maan P, Jyoti A, Kumar A, Malhotra N, Arora T. The Role of Lifestyle Interventions in PCOS Management: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2025;17(2):1–42. doi:10.3390/nu17020310 PubMed PMID: 39861440

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with significant psychological morbidity, yet limited research exists on mental health and eating behaviors in Indian women with PCOS. This study examined mental health outcomes, quality of life, and predictors of disordered eating in women with PCOS from Mysuru, Karnataka, South India, compared to healthy controls. This case-control study included 100 women with PCOS and 101 healthy controls with comparable age distributions. Participants completed the PCOS Questionnaire (PCOSQ), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Hierarchical regression and serial mediation (PROCESS Model 6 with 5,000 bootstrap samples) were conducted to examine predictors of disordered eating and mediating pathways. Women with PCOS had significantly higher BMI and were more likely to be obese compared to controls. No significant group differences were observed in depression or anxiety scores.

Keywords : Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Mental Health, Quality of Life, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Body Image, India.

Paper Submission Last Date
31 - May - 2026

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER CALL FOR PAPERS
Video Explanation for Published paper

Never miss an update from Papermashup

Get notified about the latest tutorials and downloads.

Subscribe by Email

Get alerts directly into your inbox after each post and stay updated.
Subscribe
OR

Subscribe by RSS

Add our RSS to your feedreader to get regular updates from us.
Subscribe