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.
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
Topics
Related studies
Systematic review, 2022
Do mental health disorders get worse during the menstrual cycle?
Cohort study, 1993
How common are premenstrual and menstrual symptoms in women?
Study, 2026
Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition?
Study, 2026
What are premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder?
Cohort study, 2020
Are women with PMDD more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder?
Lab study, 2020
Does anxiety sensitivity change during different parts of the menstrual cycle?