Emotion Dysregulation in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome
December 2016
in “
Scientific Reports
”
Studysummary This study found that women with PMS were more likely to use suppression rather than reappraisal for emotion regulation, and increased suppression was linked to higher skin conductance levels in these women.
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The study aimed to explore emotion regulation difficulties in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). In Study 1, involving 230 participants, it was found that PMS severity was negatively linked to the habitual use of reappraisal and positively linked to suppression. Study 2 compared 42 women with PMS to 42 without, using sad film clips to assess emotion regulation strategies. No significant difference was found in the spontaneous use of these strategies between the groups. However, for women with PMS, increased use of suppression was associated with higher skin conductance levels, indicating heightened physiological arousal, a pattern not observed in women without PMS.
