Cohort study, 2026
Is there a link between excessive anxiety and mood changes during the menstrual cycle?
Among female medical students during COVID, those who had a tendency to focus excessively on small details had more depression, sleep problems, and some perceived menstrual changes. However, this was just an observation, not proof of cause and effect.
What they did
293 female medical students answered questionnaires in March 2021 about how much they worry excessively, their depression symptoms, sleep problems, and changes in their periods. Researchers looked for connections between these measures.
What they found
Higher tendencies to worry excessively were linked to more depression and sleep complaints. Perceived changes in period flow showed some connection, but irregular periods were not strongly linked to excessive worry.
What it means for you
During COVID stress, female medical students who tend to worry excessively also reported more depression, sleep issues, and some menstrual changes. This was just an observation, so we do not know if anxiety caused the period changes or if something else is happening. The period connections were weak. These results are specific to medical students and may differ for others.
293
female medical students
≤13 vs ≥14
anxiety score cut-offs
2021
survey year
About the study
- Original title
- Aberrant salience associated with menstrual cycle, mood, and sleep alterations - A cross-sectional study in female medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Authors
- Polese D, Mazzetta A, Costanzi F et al.
- Journal
- Journal of affective disorders
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 293
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2026.121416
Topics
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