--- title: Is PMS linked to difficulty identifying and describing emotions? description: Women with PMS scored higher on measures of alexithymia, which means difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions. The study could not determine whether thi url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/association-between-premenstrual-syndrome-and-alexithymia-among-turkish-2014/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Is PMS linked to difficulty identifying and describing emotions? Survey study, 2014 # Is PMS linked to difficulty identifying and describing emotions? Women with PMS scored higher on measures of alexithymia, which means difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions. The study could not determine whether this causes PMS or results from it. Early or limited evidence 308 Turkish university students ## What they did 308 Turkish university students completed a demographic questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (measuring difficulty with emotions), and a premenstrual assessment form. Researchers compared scores between those with and without PMS. ## What they found 66.6% had PMS. Students with PMS scored higher on all three components of alexithymia: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking (p less than 0.05). Alexithymic students scored higher on all PMS symptom measures (p less than or equal to 0.001). Having a history of psychiatric treatment or smoking habit increased PMS risk (p less than 0.05). ## What it means for you Women with PMS may struggle more with recognizing and expressing emotions. Because this was a cross-sectional study, we cannot determine if difficulty with emotions causes PMS, results from it, or if both are caused by something else. The study only included university students. 66.6% had PMS 308 students ## About the study Original title Association between premenstrual syndrome and alexithymia among Turkish University students Authors Alpaslan AH, Avcı K, Soylu N et al. Journal Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology Year 2014 Study design Survey study Participants 308 What was tested None Read the paper [doi.org/10.3109/09513590.2014.887066](https://doi.org/10.3109/09513590.2014.887066) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[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 Randomised trial, 2026 Does Kundalini Reiki help reduce PMS symptoms and improve quality of life? Randomised trial, 2026 Does calcium and vitamin D supplementation reduce PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2026 Does aerobic or resistance exercise reduce anxiety in women with PMS? Randomised trial, 2026 Does a warm footbath help PMS symptoms and sleep quality? Randomised trial, 2025 Which is more effective for PMS - Vitagnus, soy, or both together? Systematic review, 2025 How common are PMS, PMDD, and painful periods in nursing students, and do they affect their schooling? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗