---
title: Are depression and difficulty understanding emotions linked to PMS symptoms?
description: In women with PMS who also have depression, yes. Women with PMS but low depression were similar to women without PMS on all measures tested.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-relationship-between-mood-somatization-and-alexithymia-in-premenstrual-1995/
---

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- Are depression and difficulty understanding emotions linked to PMS symptoms?

Cohort study, 1995

# Are depression and difficulty understanding emotions linked to PMS symptoms?

In women with PMS who also have depression, yes. Women with PMS but low depression were similar to women without PMS on all measures tested.

 Moderate study design

66 women with PMS and 49 women without PMS

## What they did

Cross-sectional study comparing 66 women with confirmed PMS and 49 without PMS. The PMS group was divided into high-depression and low-depression subgroups. All completed questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety, physical symptoms, and difficulty understanding emotions.

## What they found

Women with high-depression PMS reported significantly more physical symptoms and difficulty understanding emotions compared to controls. Women with low-depression PMS showed no differences from controls on any measure.

## What it means for you

PMS may be linked to mood and emotional factors primarily in women who also experience depression. The main limits are the small sample size and cross-sectional design.

66

women with PMS

49

women without PMS

2

PMS subgroups

## About the study

Original title The relationship between mood, somatization, and alexithymia in premenstrual syndrome Authors Kuczmierczyk AR, Labrum AH, Johnson CC Journal Psychosomatics Year 1995 Study design Cohort study Participants 66 What was tested None; psychological questionnaires only Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0033-3182(95)71704-2](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0033-3182(95)71704-2)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/)[Relationships and partners](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-relationships/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

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