--- title: Do women with PMS cope with stress differently than other women? description: Women with PMS who have higher depression scores tend to use avoidant coping (avoiding stressful situations rather than dealing with them). This pattern is co url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/coping-styles-in-women-with-premenstrual-syndrome-1994/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with PMS cope with stress differently than other women? Study, 1994 # Do women with PMS cope with stress differently than other women? Women with PMS who have higher depression scores tend to use avoidant coping (avoiding stressful situations rather than dealing with them). This pattern is consistent throughout their menstrual cycle, not just during the premenstrual phase. Moderate study design 65 women with confirmed PMS and 49 control women without PMS ## What they did 65 women with confirmed PMS were divided into groups based on depression scores (high-depression and low-depression groups) and compared with 49 women without PMS. All participants completed questionnaires about how they cope with stress and their anxiety levels. ## What they found Women in the high-depression PMS group used significantly more avoidant coping styles to deal with stress than other women. This pattern of avoidant coping was consistent throughout their menstrual cycle, independent of cycle phase. The study noted implications for treatment. ## What it means for you If you have PMS with depression, you may naturally tend to avoid dealing with stressful situations rather than facing them directly. Understanding this about yourself could help guide what treatments or coping strategies might work best for you. One main limitation is that we cannot tell whether avoidant coping causes worse PMS or whether having PMS leads to this coping pattern. 65 women with PMS 49 control women without PMS ## About the study Original title Coping styles in women with premenstrual syndrome Authors Kuczmierczyk AR, Johnson CC, Labrum AH Journal Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica Year 1994 Study design Study What was tested Questionnaires measuring coping styles and anxiety Read the paper [doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1994.tb01519.x](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1994.tb01519.x) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2025 How common is PMS in Chinese teenage girls, and what factors are linked to it? Randomised trial, 2024 Does curcumin reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in women with PMS and dysmenorrhea? Randomised trial, 1995 Does fluoxetine help premenstrual dysphoria? Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2025 How do personality traits like neuroticism affect PMS severity and sexual satisfaction? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗