Survey study, 1995
How do women cope with menstrual cycle symptoms and which methods work best?
Women use four types of coping strategies. Active-cognitive (thinking-based) and active-behavioral (action-based) methods were most helpful, though how often a strategy was used didn't predict how helpful it was.
What they did
Survey of 342 women using a specially designed coping checklist about how they dealt with menstrual cycle changes.
What they found
Four types of coping emerged: active-behavioral, active-cognitive, avoidance, and menstrual cycle specific. Most women used active-cognitive coping. Active-behavioral and active-cognitive coping were rated as most helpful. There was no relationship between how often a coping strategy was used and how helpful it was thought to be.
What it means for you
This study suggests that action-based and thinking-based coping strategies work better for menstrual symptoms than other approaches, even though they are not the most commonly used. The main limitation is that we don't know if women who use these strategies actually developed them successfully, or if successful copers just tend to use them.
342
Women surveyed
4
Types of coping strategies identified
About the study
- Original title
- How do women cope with menstrual cycle changes?
- Authors
- Choi PY, Salmon P
- Journal
- The British journal of clinical psychology
- Year
- 1995
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 342
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1995.tb01446.x
Topics
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