--- title: Do women with premenstrual syndrome think differently than women without it? description: Women with PMS think differently in some ways than women without symptoms, but not as drastically as women with depression. Women with both PMS and depression url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/differences-in-cognitive-triad-biased-information-processing-and-metacognitive-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with premenstrual syndrome think differently than women without it? Survey study, 2022 # Do women with premenstrual syndrome think differently than women without it? Women with PMS think differently in some ways than women without symptoms, but not as drastically as women with depression. Women with both PMS and depression have the most distorted thinking patterns. Moderate study design 127 women aged 19-35 with a mix of PMS, depression, both, or neither ## What they did Cross-sectional study of 127 women aged 19-35 divided into four groups: asymptomatic, PMS only (nondepressed), depression only, and both PMS and depression. Researchers diagnosed PMS using daily reports and depression using SCID-IV. They measured thinking patterns using three tools: Cognitive Triad Inventory, Metacognitive Belief Questionnaire, and self-referent information processing task. ## What they found Women with depression had more distorted thinking than asymptomatic women. Women with PMS had similar thinking patterns to asymptomatic women in some ways but differed on other measures. The menstrual cycle phase at the time of testing (follicular vs. luteal) was not a significant factor. Among depressed women, those with PMS had even more distorted thinking than those without PMS. ## What it means for you PMS alone may not cause the same distorted thinking patterns as depression, but women with both conditions think very differently. The timing of testing in the menstrual cycle didn't matter. Main limits: cross-sectional study, moderate sample size, and no intervention tested. 127 women studied 4 groups compared 19-35 age range in years ## About the study Original title Differences in Cognitive Triad, Biased Information Processing, and Metacognitive Beliefs Between Women with Depression and Premenstrual Syndrome Authors Andrzej Śliwerski, Karolina Koszałkowska, Aleksandra Mrowicka et al. Journal International Journal of Cognitive Therapy Year 2022 Study design Survey study Participants 127 What was tested None (comparison study) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s41811-022-00151-z](https://doi.org/10.1007/s41811-022-00151-z) Original abstract Abstract The timing of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) suggests that hormonal fluctuations are a key component in its pathogenesis. Unfortunately, women with PMS cannot be distinguished from asymptomatic women regarding biological markers. Research suggests that increased susceptibility to hormonal changes among women with PMS may be explained by the theory of cognitive vulnerability to affective disorders. The study group comprised 127 women (aged 19–35). The participants were divided into four groups: asymptomatic, nondepressed with PMS, depressed without PMS, and both depressed and with PMS. PMS was diagnosed by prospective daily reports, and depression by SCID-IV. All participants completed the Cognitive triad inventory (CTI), Metacognitive belief questionnaire (MCQ-30), and the self-referent information processing task (SRET) randomly either in the follicular or luteal phase. Findings indicated that only the asymptomatic women differed in cognitive processing from the depressed women. Those with PMS, despite demonstrating a slightly greater intensity of distorted cognitive processing, did not differ significantly from the asymptomatic participants; however, they differed from those with depression regarding in the cognitive triad. The phase of the cycle was not a significant factor in differentiating distorted cognitive processing. Depressed women have more distorted cognitive processes than non-depressed women. Women with PMS appear to be a group that lies between asymptomatic women and those who suffer from depression. Moreover, among women with depression, those with PMS have even more severe distorted cognitive processing than those without PMS. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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, 2023 Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis? Study, 2025 Do women with PMDD who experienced childhood trauma have more trouble recognizing emotions? Survey study, 2026 How aware are female students of PMDD and how does it affect their schoolwork? Review, 2026 Do men experience premenstrual syndrome? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS and PMDD among college girls, and what are their symptoms? Survey study, 2018 How aware are men of what PMS is and how it affects their partners? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗