--- title: How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? description: Women who believed their premenstrual period was uncontrollable experienced stronger increases in distress before their period. Their general ways of handling url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-role-of-emotion-regulation-dispositions-and-uncontrollability-beliefs-in-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? Cohort study, 2026 # How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? Women who believed their premenstrual period was uncontrollable experienced stronger increases in distress before their period. Their general ways of handling emotions were linked to overall distress throughout the cycle rather than specifically to increases before the period. Moderate study design 94 French women experiencing premenstrual distress ## What they did 94 French women filled out a questionnaire about their beliefs regarding the premenstrual period. They then reported their daily distress, how they used reappraisal and rumination to manage negative emotions, and their menstrual status each evening for 31 days. Researchers analyzed the data using multilevel modeling. ## What they found There was a general increase in distress during the premenstrual period, stronger in women who believed the premenstrual period was uncontrollable. Women who used less reappraisal (reframing thoughts) and more rumination (dwelling on problems) experienced higher distress throughout the entire menstrual cycle, not just before the period. ## What it means for you Beliefs specifically about losing control in the premenstrual period may be a key factor in premenstrual distress, separate from how women generally manage emotions. Targeting these specific beliefs in treatment might be more effective than addressing general emotion patterns. The study was limited to French women and a single 31-day period. 94 women studied 31 days of tracking ## About the study Original title The role of emotion regulation dispositions and uncontrollability beliefs in premenstrual distress: An intensive longitudinal daily diary study Authors Larmanou M, Marais-Thomas H, Dauvier B et al. Journal Journal of psychosomatic research Year 2026 Study design Cohort study What was tested None (observational study) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112961](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2026.112961) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Mood swings and emotion regulation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-emotional-regulation/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2026 Do how you think about your period and how you manage emotions affect PMS and PMDD? Randomised trial, 2026 Does acceptance and commitment therapy help women with PMS manage emotions and unhelpful thoughts? Study, 2025 Do women with PMDD who experienced childhood trauma have more trouble recognizing emotions? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗