Cohort study, 1989
Does the menstrual cycle affect depression test scores?
Yes. Women scored higher on depression tests premenstrually than postmenstrually, and more women met the threshold for depression before their period. However, this may reflect how the test itself changes with the cycle, not actual changes in depression.
What they did
Two studies examined whether the menstrual cycle affects depression test scores using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The first was a cross-sectional study and the second used repeated testing across the menstrual cycle in community-based women. Men were tested at 2-week intervals as a comparison group.
What they found
Both studies showed that women scored significantly higher on the depression scale during the premenstrual phase compared with the postmenstrual phase. The menstrual cycle-related effect was greater than normal test-retest variability observed in men. More women met the depression threshold when tested premenstrually than postmenstrually.
What it means for you
Research on depression rates in menstruating women may overestimate true depression because test scores naturally change with the menstrual cycle. This does not mean mood changes are not real, but epidemiological studies may need to account for cycle phase when measuring depression in women. Further research is needed to determine whether this effect is large enough to require correction.
CES-D
depression test used
Premenstrual
score peaks
Cyclical
pattern observed
About the study
- Original title
- Evidence for a menstrual-linked artifact in determining rates of depression
- Authors
- Hamilton JA, Gallant S, Lloyd C
- Journal
- The Journal of nervous and mental disease
- Year
- 1989
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- None; observational studies measuring depression test scores across menstrual cycle
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1097/00005053-198906000-00007
Topics
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