Systematic review, 2025
Do people with PMDD and severe PMS have difficulties with emotion regulation?
People with PMDD and severe PMS may have difficulties identifying emotions and choosing how to handle them, particularly using rumination (replaying upset thoughts) in the late-luteal phase. Evidence remains limited.
What they did
Systematic review of 22 studies with 1529 people measuring emotion regulation through questionnaires or experimental tasks in those with PMDD or PMS confirmed by tracking symptoms for 1 or more months, compared to healthy controls or measured at least twice across 2 menstrual cycle phases.
What they found
Findings suggest possible difficulties in identifying and choosing emotion regulation strategies in people with PMDD and PMS, including heightened emotional reactivity and challenges with emotional clarity. There was some evidence of increased rumination, particularly in the late-luteal phase. Evidence on difficulties using regulation strategies was limited and inconsistent.
What it means for you
Emotion regulation difficulties may contribute to PMDD and PMS symptoms, particularly trouble recognizing emotions and choosing how to handle them. This understanding could guide new non-medication treatments. Main limitations include limited evidence on some processes and few experimental studies.
22
Studies included
1529
Total participants
About the study
- Original title
- Emotion regulation in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Premenstrual Syndrome: a systematic review
- Authors
- Lambert E, Hunter M, Cocker H et al.
- Journal
- BMC psychology
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- None (observational review)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03587-y
Topics
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