Survey study, 2025
Does thinking repeatedly about distressing thoughts make PMS worse, and can being mentally flexible help?
Women who thought repeatedly about worrying thoughts had more severe PMS symptoms. Being mentally flexible did not reduce this effect, meaning the link between overthinking and PMS remained strong and direct.
What they did
150 women aged 18 to 35 completed questionnaires measuring rumination (repeatedly thinking about distressing thoughts), cognitive flexibility (ability to shift and adapt thinking), and PMS symptoms. Researchers used statistical analysis to test whether flexibility reduced the connection between rumination and PMS.
What they found
Women with higher rumination reported more severe PMS symptoms. Rumination was also linked to lower cognitive flexibility. However, cognitive flexibility did not mediate the connection between rumination and PMS severity, showing that overthinking had a direct impact on symptoms.
What it means for you
Overthinking directly worsens PMS and being mentally flexible does not change this link. This suggests other psychological factors may be important in PMS. The main limitation is the cross-sectional design, which cannot prove that rumination causes PMS rather than PMS causing rumination.
150
women studied
18-35
age range in years
About the study
- Original title
- Exploring the Mediating Role of Cognitive Flexibility in the Relationship between Rumination and Premenstrual Syndrome Severity
- Authors
- Ayesha Naseem, Maham Rasheed, Hira Ashraf et al.
- Journal
- Annual Methodological Archive Research Review
- Year
- 2025
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 150
- What was tested
- Rumination and cognitive flexibility were measured but not tested as interventions
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.63075/swkqpp07
Topics
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