--- title: Does personality type affect how severe PMS symptoms are? | Niyora description: Yes. Women with higher neuroticism (emotional instability) experience more severe PMS symptoms, and openness to experience also showed a weaker link to PMS se url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-relationship-between-personality-characteristic-and-premenstrual-syndrome-2025/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does personality type affect how severe PMS symptoms are? Cohort study, 2025 # Does personality type affect how severe PMS symptoms are? Yes. Women with higher neuroticism (emotional instability) experience more severe PMS symptoms, and openness to experience also showed a weaker link to PMS severity. Early or limited evidence 91 female medical students from Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia, 2022 cohort ## What they did Researchers surveyed 91 female medical students at Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia using two questionnaires: one to measure PMS severity and one to assess personality traits based on the Big Five Personality Model. They analyzed the correlation between personality and PMS severity using statistical methods. ## What they found 96 percent of participants reported PMS symptoms. Neuroticism showed a significant positive correlation with PMS severity (r = 0.469, p < 0.001). Openness to experience also correlated with PMS severity but more weakly (r = 0.256, p = 0.014). Among those with PMS, 51 percent experienced moderate symptoms, 37 percent mild, and 8 percent severe. Conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness showed no significant relationship with PMS severity. ## What it means for you If you tend toward emotional instability or nervousness, you may be more likely to experience worse PMS symptoms. This suggests emotional health and stress management may help reduce PMS. The main limitation is that this was a cross-sectional study in one university in Indonesia, so findings may not apply to all women. 96% of participants reported PMS symptoms r=0.469, p<0.001 neuroticism and PMS severity correlation 51% experienced moderate PMS symptoms ## About the study Original title The relationship between personality characteristic and premenstrual syndrome among medical student faculty of medicine UNAIR batch 2022 Authors Heldea Iswara, Sri Ratna Dwiningsih, Azimatul Karimah et al. Journal World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews Year 2025 Study design Cohort study Participants 91 What was tested None Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2025.26.3.2493](https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2025.26.3.2493) Original abstract Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a widespread condition affecting women, marked by a combination of psychological, behavioral, and physical symptoms that typically occur in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. These symptoms can significantly disrupt daily life, including academic performance and overall well-being. The intensity of PMS symptoms may be influenced by several factors, one of which is personality. This study explores the relationship between personality traits, particularly those identified in the Big Five model, and the severity of PMS symptoms among female medical students at Universitas Airlangga. This research utilized a correlational analytic design with a cross-sectional approach. The study sample comprised 91 female medical students from the 2022 cohort at Universitas Airlangga, selected using consecutive sampling. Data were collected through two questionnaires: the Premenstrual Syndrome Questionnaire (PSQ) to assess PMS severity, and the IPIP BFM-25 to measure personality traits based on the Big Five Personality Model. Spearman’s rank-order correlation was used to analyze the relationship between personality traits and PMS severity. 96% of participants reported PMS symptoms, with 51% experiencing moderate, 37% mild, and 8% severe symptoms. A significant positive correlation was found between neuroticism (r = 0.469, p < 0.001) and PMS severity, suggesting that higher emotional instability correlates with more severe PMS symptoms. A weak but significant correlation was also found between openness to experience and PMS severity (r = 0.256, p = 0.014). No significant relationships were observed between PMS severity and other personality traits such as conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness. The study highlights that emotional traits, particularly neuroticism and openness to experience, play a significant role in PMS severity. Female medical students exhibiting higher neuroticism and openness are more likely to experience more intense PMS symptoms, emphasizing the importance of addressing emotional health and developing interventions for emotional regulation to mitigate PMS effects. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/) 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, 2026 Is academic stress linked to PMS severity in university students? Study, 2026 What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Survey study, 2025 Do certain nutrients and body weight affect PMS? Survey study, 2025 What psychological and personal factors predict which university students will develop premenstrual syndrome? Survey study, 2021 Does physical activity or age at first period affect how much PMS a teenage girl experiences? Survey study, 2019 What causes severe PMS in female college students with disabilities? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗