---
title: How common are hostile feelings and social problems before periods?
description: These symptoms vary greatly by group studied: from 15% to 83% for hostile feelings, and from 14% to 92% for social functioning problems.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-hostility-impulsivity-and-impaired-social-functioning-1986/
---

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- How common are hostile feelings and social problems before periods?

Survey study, 1986

# How common are hostile feelings and social problems before periods?

These symptoms vary greatly by group studied: from 15% to 83% for hostile feelings, and from 14% to 92% for social functioning problems.

 Early or limited evidence

505 women recruited through different groups (treatment-seeking, media responders, employees, executives)

## What they did

Researchers recruited 505 women through different pathways: women seeking treatment, women who responded to media coverage, medical center employees and student nurses, and business executives. They used the Premenstrual Assessment Form to assess types of premenstrual changes.

## What they found

Hostile features ranged from 83% in treatment-seeking women to 15% among executives. Impaired social functioning was reported by 91% and 92% of women who responded to media coverage compared to 14-45% in other groups. Eighty percent of treatment-seeking women showed impulsivity symptoms compared to 12-40% in other groups. Very few successful professional women reported these symptoms.

## What it means for you

How common these symptoms are depends heavily on which women you study. Women seeking treatment report much higher rates than successful professionals, which is important for understanding research findings about premenstrual changes.

505

women

15% to 83%

range for hostile features by group

80%

treatment-seeking women with impulsivity symptoms

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual Hostility, Impulsivity and Impaired Social Functioning* Authors Susanna Goldstein, Uriel M Halbreich, Jean Endicott et al. Journal Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology Year 1986 Study design Survey study Participants 505 Read the paper [doi.org/10.3109/01674828609016740](https://doi.org/10.3109/01674828609016740)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Bipolar disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-bipolar/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)

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.

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