--- title: Does emotion-focused group therapy help women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder? description: Yes. Emotion-focused group therapy significantly improved pain, self-compassion, sexual function, and reduced couple burnout. The effects were large and consi url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/emotion-focused-group-therapy-among-women-with-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-a-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does emotion-focused group therapy help women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Randomised trial, 2022 # Does emotion-focused group therapy help women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Yes. Emotion-focused group therapy significantly improved pain, self-compassion, sexual function, and reduced couple burnout. The effects were large and consistent across all measured areas. Moderate study design 72 married women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder ## What they did Randomized controlled trial with 72 married women with PMDD. The intervention group received 10 sessions of emotion-focused group therapy. The control group was placed on a waitlist and received no treatment. Pain, self-compassion, sexual function, and couple burnout were measured before and after. ## What they found Emotion-focused group therapy significantly reduced pain perception, increased self-compassion, improved sexual function, and reduced couple burnout compared to the waitlist control group. Participants reported satisfaction with treatment and had good relationships with therapists. ## What it means for you Emotion-focused group therapy appears to be an effective psychological treatment for PMDD that improves wellbeing and reduces stress on relationships. Main limitation: only married women were studied, so we do not know if it works for single women or those with milder PMS. The study did not report how long improvements lasted after treatment ended. 72 Number of women 10 Number of therapy sessions ## About the study Original title Emotion-focused group therapy among women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder: A randomized clinical trial Authors Shareh H, Ghodsi M, Keramati S Journal Psychotherapy research : journal of the Society for Psychotherapy Research Year 2022 Study design Randomised trial Participants 72 What was tested 10 sessions of emotion-focused group therapy Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2021.1980239](https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2021.1980239) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Libido and sexual function](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sexual-function/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[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 Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Cohort study, 2025 Do pain sensitivity and negative thinking explain how trauma and stress cause PMS or PMDD? Survey study, 2022 What are the biggest research gaps in women's health, especially for menstrual conditions? Survey study, 2022 Do different healthcare providers differ in recognizing and treating PMDD? Survey study, 2026 What attitudes do nursing students have toward premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Study, 2026 How does PMDD affect women's work and careers? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗