Case-control study, 2015
Does feeling in control of anxiety affect how severe PMS symptoms feel?
Possibly yes. Women who felt they had less control over anxiety reported worse PMS symptoms, regardless of which cycle phase they were in. This link was stronger than another anxiety measure studied.
What they did
A case-control study of 49 women aged 18-47. Each woman tracked her menstrual symptoms for one complete cycle and answered a questionnaire about how much control she felt she had over anxiety-related events during both the follicular phase (early cycle) and premenstrual phase (late cycle).
What they found
Women with lower perceived control over anxiety reported greater menstrual symptom severity, and this held true regardless of which phase of the cycle they were in. Perceived control over anxiety was a stronger predictor of symptom severity than another measure of anxiety (anxiety sensitivity).
What it means for you
How much control you feel you have over anxiety might influence how severe your PMS symptoms seem. However, this study only shows a connection between the two, not that low control causes worse symptoms. The study was small and tracked women for only one cycle.
49
women studied
18-47
age range
1
menstrual cycle tracked
About the study
- Original title
- The role of perceived control over anxiety in prospective symptom reports across the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Mahon JN, Rohan KJ, Nillni YI et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2015
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 49
- What was tested
- None; the study measured perceived control of anxiety but tested no intervention
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-014-0456-1
Topics
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