---
title: Does personality type affect how women report premenstrual symptoms?
description: Women with neurotic personality traits reported more premenstrual symptoms than stable women, especially on retrospective questionnaires rather than daily rec
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/relationship-between-personality-and-premenstrual-symptoms-a-study-in-five-1991/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does personality type affect how women report premenstrual symptoms?

Non-randomised trial, 1991

# Does personality type affect how women report premenstrual symptoms?

Women with neurotic personality traits reported more premenstrual symptoms than stable women, especially on retrospective questionnaires rather than daily records. This suggests how women are asked about symptoms matters as much as whether they have them.

 Early or limited evidence

Women of child-bearing age in five urban general practices (sample size not specified)

## What they did

Women in five general practices completed a daily health diary and a separate retrospective checklist about premenstrual changes. They also completed a personality inventory that classified them as neurotic or stable.

## What they found

Neurotic women reported more premenstrual changes overall, particularly on the retrospective checklist. Stable women were less likely to give inconsistent answers between the two questionnaires. Retrospective checklists introduced response bias favoring high neuroticism.

## What it means for you

Both personality and the measurement method affect how women report symptoms. Daily tracking may be more accurate than asking women to remember. Main limitation is no sample size given and this was a non-randomized study.

## About the study

Original title Relationship between personality and premenstrual symptoms: a study in five general practices Authors Taylor RJ, Fordyce ID, Alexander DA Journal The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners Year 1991 Study design Non-randomised trial What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2031736/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2031736/)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[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?

Survey study, 2007

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

Interview study, 2026

What is life like for married women with PMS?

Interview study, 2025

What is dysphoria and how does it feel in premenstrual disorder?

Systematic review, 2026

What is it like for women to live with PMS or PMDD?

Systematic review, 2025

Is there a link between stress, trauma, and premenstrual symptoms?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗