Randomised trial, 1991
Does knowing you are studied about your cycle change what you report?
Women who knew they were being studied reported normal premenstrual and menstrual experiences similar to men, while women who did not know reported slightly lower well-being than men during the premenstrual phase. The study was small.
What they did
A randomized study of 30 normally cycling women and 23 men. Women were split into two groups: one aware they were being studied about mood and the menstrual cycle, one unaware. Everyone rated their daily moods and symptoms.
What they found
Six factors explained 70 percent of the variance in ratings: Dysphoric Moods, Well-being, Physical Symptoms, Personal Space, Food Cravings, and Depression. All showed cyclic variation. Unaware women reported less well-being than men during the premenstrual phase, but aware women did not differ from men on any premenstrual or menstrual measure.
What it means for you
Awareness of being studied may influence how women report their premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, suggesting some reported differences between women and men may reflect expectations rather than real differences. The sample was small and only looked at reporting during one cycle.
30
women studied
23
men studied
6
symptom factors identified
About the study
- Original title
- Daily moods and symptoms: effects of awareness of study focus, gender, menstrual-cycle phase, and day of the week
- Authors
- Gallant SJ, Hamilton JA, Popiel DA et al.
- Journal
- Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 30
- What was tested
- Awareness manipulation (aware vs. unaware of study focus)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1037//0278-6133.10.3.180
Topics
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