Cohort study, 2016
Do women with PMDD have more difficulty controlling their emotions?
Yes. Women with PMDD reported significantly more trouble controlling emotions and more impulsive behavior than healthy women. Cognitive and behavioral strategies might help, but this finding is based on a small study.
What they did
Cohort study of 36 women (18 with PMDD and 18 healthy controls) who provided daily symptom ratings based on DSM-5 criteria. Researchers measured emotion regulation using two questionnaires and also measured stress, social connectedness, and mood.
What they found
Women with PMDD reported significantly more behavioral impulsivity and greater difficulties in emotion regulation and socioemotional functioning compared to healthy controls. Relationships were found between emotion regulation ability and PMDD symptom severity, as well as other measures of mood and social connectedness.
What it means for you
Difficulty controlling emotions and managing impulsive behavior may be important features of PMDD that cognitive and behavioral therapy could address. However, this finding is based on a small study of 36 women, so larger studies are needed to confirm.
36
Total number of women in study
18
Women with PMDD
18
Healthy controls
About the study
- Original title
- Emotion regulation in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder
- Authors
- Petersen N, London ED, Liang L et al.
- Journal
- Archives of women's mental health
- Year
- 2016
- Study design
- Cohort study
- Participants
- 36
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s00737-016-0634-4
Topics
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