---
title: Do anxiety levels and coping styles affect premenstrual distress?
description: Yes. Women with high anxiety sensitivity used less helpful coping strategies and reported more premenstrual distress, especially when using avoidance coping.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-role-of-anxiety-level-coping-styles-and-cycle-phase-in-menstrual-distress-2004/
---

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- Do anxiety levels and coping styles affect premenstrual distress?

Cohort study, 2004

# Do anxiety levels and coping styles affect premenstrual distress?

Yes. Women with high anxiety sensitivity used less helpful coping strategies and reported more premenstrual distress, especially when using avoidance coping.

 Early or limited evidence

Women from three studies with varying anxiety sensitivity levels; women with panic disorder in Study 3

## What they did

Researchers conducted three studies examining relationships between anxiety levels, coping strategies, and menstrual distress. They measured coping strategy use and premenstrual distress in women with varying anxiety sensitivity levels, and compared women with panic disorder to controls.

## What they found

Women with high anxiety sensitivity used more avoidance coping and maladaptive strategies, while women with low anxiety sensitivity used more acceptance coping. Depressed mood predicted premenstrual distress across all groups. During the premenstrual phase, women with panic disorder used more avoidance coping while controls used more active coping and social support.

## What it means for you

How women cope with stress may be more important than anxiety itself in determining menstrual distress. The abstract did not clearly report specific sample sizes for each study.

3

independent studies conducted

## About the study

Original title The role of anxiety level, coping styles, and cycle phase in menstrual distress Authors Sigmon ST, Whitcomb-Smith SR, Rohan KJ et al. Journal Journal of anxiety disorders Year 2004 Study design Cohort study What was tested None (observational study of coping and anxiety) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/s0887-6185(02)00243-8](https://doi.org/10.1016/s0887-6185(02)00243-8)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Anxiety and tension](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-anxiety/)[Anxiety disorders and OCD](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-anxiety-disorders/)

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