Sophia Laney

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Casto, Kathleen

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

Premenstrual disorders, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), are defined by significant fluctuations in mood, behavior, and cognition across the menstrual cycle that are inextricably linked to a differential sensitivity to cyclical hormone changes. This thesis aimed to investigate several psychological and biological correlates of premenstrual symptomatology, including emotion regulation difficulties and interoceptive abilities, as well as how premenstrual disorders are connected to cortisol reactivity and competitive stress. Two different studies were conducted to achieve this. In Study 1, self-reports, along with a competitive behavioral task and hormone assay data, were used to assess 54 participants’ extent of premenstrual symptomatology, cortisol reactivity to competition, and competitive persistence. However, analyses revealed there was no significant relationship between either cortisol reactivity or competitive persistence and premenstrual symptom severity. In Study 2, self-report questionnaires were administered to examine 241 participants’ premenstrual symptomatology, along with their extent of body awareness and emotion regulation and flexibility of emotional expression. It was hypothesized that premenstrual symptoms would be positively correlated with emotional dysregulation and less regulatory flexibility, and that physical premenstrual symptoms, like headaches and bloating, would be associated with interoceptive awareness levels. Results showed a significant and positive correlation between premenstrual symptoms and emotional dysregulation, while no significant associations were found between premenstrual symptoms and interoceptive awareness or flexibility in emotion expression. Overall, this study contributes to the current knowledge on the impacts of premenstrual symptoms and disorders. Promoting the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies could improve the ability to confront and manage premenstrual changes for individuals who experience PMS/PMDD and could help prevent the development of PMS/PMDD in unaffected populations.

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