Survey study, 2005
Do women with PMDD who struggle to identify their feelings have more severe symptoms and body concerns?
Yes. About 31.3% of women with PMDD have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings, and these women report more severe PMDD symptoms and worse body image than others.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 64 women with PMDD aged 18-45. Researchers measured difficulty identifying feelings, severity of premenstrual mood symptoms, body image concerns, and self-esteem.
What they found
31.3% (20 women) had difficulty identifying and expressing feelings. Women with this difficulty had significantly higher scores on all measures, including worse body satisfaction and appearance evaluation. Difficulty identifying and describing feelings predicted more severe PMDD.
What it means for you
Some women with PMDD have difficulty recognizing their emotions, and this is linked to worse symptoms and body image concerns. But the sample was small (64 women) and from one setting, so findings may not apply to all women with PMDD.
31.3%
Women with difficulty identifying feelings
64
Total study participants
About the study
- Original title
- Alexithymia and body image disturbances in women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
- Authors
- De Berardis D, Campanella D, Gambi F et al.
- Journal
- Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology
- Year
- 2005
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 20
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1080/01674820500109081
Topics
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