Survey study, 1984
Do moods change during different phases of the menstrual cycle?
In this study, most university women aged 18-30 did not experience clear changes in mood or psychological distress during different cycle phases. Even women who attended a psychiatric clinic showed no clear changes.
What they did
Two separate studies of university women. Study 1 included 162 randomly selected women, Study 2 included 138 women from a psychiatric clinic. All completed questionnaires about depression, anxiety, and psychological distress without knowing the study was about mood changes during their cycle.
What they found
In Study 1, there were no clear differences in depression, anxiety, or psychological distress between cycle phases. In Study 2, even among women with emotional problems, no increase in mood disturbance or psychological distress was found during any cycle phase.
What it means for you
Most young university women do not experience significant mood swings linked to their menstrual cycle. However, some women do have distressing cyclical mood changes. The main limit is that the study only looked at women aged 18-30 who were mostly single without children.
162
Women in Study 1
138
Women in Study 2
18-30
Age range
About the study
- Original title
- Fluctuations in mood and psychological distress during the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- O'Neil MK, Lancee WJ, Freeman SJ
- Journal
- Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie
- Year
- 1984
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 162
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1177/070674378402900502
Topics
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