---
title: Do personality traits and family support affect how bad premenstrual symptoms are?
description: Yes. Women with perfectionism had worse PMS, and having supportive relationships with their mother and partner helped reduce this effect.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/psychosocial-associates-of-premenstrual-symptoms-and-the-moderating-role-of-2007/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Do personality traits and family support affect how bad premenstrual symptoms are?

Survey study, 2007

# Do personality traits and family support affect how bad premenstrual symptoms are?

Yes. Women with perfectionism had worse PMS, and having supportive relationships with their mother and partner helped reduce this effect.

 Moderate study design

Community sample of women (not help-seeking)

## What they did

Cross-sectional study. Women in a community sample completed a questionnaire about perfectionism, need for approval, timidity, and support from their mother and partner. Premenstrual symptoms were measured daily for more than 2 months.

## What they found

Perfectionism and low maternal support were associated with premenstrual symptoms. Social support from both mother and partner moderated the impact of perfectionism on physical symptoms.

## What it means for you

Personality traits and quality of family relationships matter for PMS severity. These findings suggest community-based prevention programs focused on support and personality factors could help. The study did not state sample size.

2+

months of daily symptom tracking

2

key family relationships examined

1

key personality factor linked to symptoms (perfectionism)

## About the study

Original title Psychosocial associates of premenstrual symptoms and the moderating role of social support in a community sample Authors Haywood A, Slade P, King H Journal Journal of psychosomatic research Year 2007 Study design Survey study What was tested None - observational study Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.07.024](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2006.07.024)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Diagnosis experience and healthcare access](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-healthcare-access/)

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

Survey study, 2022

Do different healthcare providers differ in recognizing and treating PMDD?

Systematic review, 2026

What types of talking therapy have been studied for PMS and PMDD?

Survey study, 2026

What helps teenagers cope better with PMS?

Survey study, 2026

Does fear of childbirth explain why women with PMS are more likely to develop postpartum depression?

Study, 2026

What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms?

Survey study, 2026

Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗