Emotional changes within the menstrual cycle: anxiety, anger and depression

Abstract

The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) includes a regularly occurring increase in psychological and/or somatic symptoms in the days preceding the menstrual flow. Eight hundred and forty-four women responded to a number of questionnaires on days 12, 18, 22 and 26 of their menstrual cycle. Change scores of the four menstrual distress scales pain, water retention, impaired concentration and negative affect served to form subgroups of cases with very clear and moderately clear PMS. Scores for anxiety, anger and depression show a dramatic increase in PMS women over time. The group with a very clear PMS symptomatology consistently experiences a highly significant increase in anxiety, anger and depression. Besides, the relationships between PMS, neuroticism, anxiety, anger and depression are studied. It seems that neuroticism is less powerful in explaining the variation of anxiety, anger and depression than the subgroups derived from PMS change scores. The results suggest, especially for those who view PMS from a ‘biopsychosocial’ perspective, that it might be possible to improve the diagnosis and assessment of PMS by administering anxiety, anger and depression scales at two or more points in time.