Study, 1989
Are stress and personality traits linked to having worse premenstrual symptoms?
College women with worse premenstrual symptoms had significantly more self-focused thinking than the other groups. They also tended to report higher general stress. Together, high stress and high self-preoccupation appeared only in the premenstrual symptom group.
What they did
Researchers recruited college women and divided them into three equal groups based on when they experienced most symptom distress: during the week before the period, during menstruation, or equally in both. Each woman completed questionnaires measuring self-focused thinking and general stress level.
What they found
Women with worse premenstrual symptoms showed significantly higher self-preoccupation (more self-focused thinking) compared to the other two groups. They also reported higher general stress levels, though this difference was less clear than the self-preoccupation finding. When both stress and self-preoccupation were measured together, only the premenstrual symptom group showed high levels of both.
What it means for you
Being stressed and self-focused appears connected to worse premenstrual symptoms in college women. These personality and stress patterns might make symptoms feel worse or be part of what makes them more noticeable. However, the study only included college students at one time point, so results apply mainly to that group. It cannot prove that stress and self-focus cause worse symptoms.
About the study
- Original title
- Self-preoccupation and general stress level as sensitizing factors in premenstrual and menstrual distress
- Authors
- Heilbrun AB Jr, Frank ME
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic research
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0022-3999(89)90064-0
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