Study, 2002
How do women's thoughts and coping affect PMDD?
Through interviews, researchers found that women with PMDD often feel overly responsible for everything and out of control. Their symptoms develop from interactions between their feelings, thoughts, relationships, and cultural expectations.
What they did
Researchers interviewed women who met the diagnostic criteria for PMDD about their experiences. They analyzed the interviews to find common themes.
What they found
Common themes included women feeling split into two versions of themselves, feeling over-responsible for everything, feeling out of control, using various ways to cope, and seeing PMDD as affecting their relationships. The researchers described PMDD as developing from ongoing interactions between internal experiences, thoughts, relationships, and cultural expectations.
What it means for you
Psychological factors like beliefs about control and responsibility may play a role in PMDD symptoms. However, this is an interview-based study, so it captures how women experience PMDD but does not prove these factors cause it. The findings may only apply to the women interviewed and not all women with PMDD.
About the study
- Original title
- Processes of appraisal and coping in the development and maintenance of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Authors
- Jane Maria Ussher
- Journal
- Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology
- Year
- 2002
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- Narrative interviews about experiences with PMDD
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1002/casp.685
Topics
Related studies
Case-control study, 2026
Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?
Cohort study, 2023
Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis?
Randomised trial, 2000
How should PMDD be diagnosed and treated?
Study, 2026
What do women in Lahore know about PMDD and do they seek help for it?
Survey study, 2025
Is the Chinese uncertainty anxiety scale reliable for measuring PMS-related anxiety?
Study, 2025
Do women with PMDD who experienced childhood trauma have more trouble recognizing emotions?