Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common condition among young women, characterized by physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms that may affect quality of life and academic functioning. Pain experience is one of the prominent symptoms of this syndrome, which is associated with cognitive–emotional processes and disturbances in temporal perception.
Objective: The present study aimed to conduct a path analysis using a structural equation modeling approach to examine the mediating roles of anxiety sensitivity and cognitive flexibility in the relationship between pain experience severity and temporal perception disorder in women with premenstrual syndrome.
Methodology: This applied study employed a descriptive–correlational design using a structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population consisted of women with symptoms of premenstrual syndrome during 2025–2026, and 233 participants were selected through non-random convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Anxiety Sensitivity Questionnaire, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and the researcher-developed Scale of Temporal Perception Related to Psychological Stress (SRTPS). Data were initially analyzed using descriptive statistics and normality assessment, followed by Pearson’s correlation analysis and structural equation modeling.
Results: The path analysis results indicated that pain experience severity had a significant positive effect on anxiety sensitivity (β=0.274, C.R=4.213, P<0.001) and a significant negative effect on cognitive flexibility (β=-0.174, C.R=-2.658, P=0.008). Furthermore, the structural model results showed that anxiety sensitivity had a significant positive effect on temporal perception disorder (β=0.392, C.R=5.016, P<0.001), whereas cognitive flexibility had a significant negative effect on temporal perception disorder (β=-0.208, C.R=-3.029, P=0.002). Pearson’s correlation analysis demonstrated a significant positive relationship between pain experie