Abstract
Past research suggests that women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) have higher levels of alcohol use/abuse. The present study
was conducted to test the hypothesis that women with diverse patterns of affective response to the menstrual cycle (PMS pattern,
mid-cycle pattern, and noncyclical pattern) would show mean-level differences on measures of self-reported affective response
to alcohol, alcohol use, and sleep changes following alcohol use. All participants from an initial study of n = 213 college-aged women who had prospectively completed daily questionnaires for two full menstrual cycles were asked to
complete a one-time retrospective questionnaire regarding their alcohol use and typical affective response when consuming
alcohol. From that original study, n = 161 also participated in the present study. Results showed significant differences, in the expected direction, on three
out of five measures (hard alcohol use, negative affective response to alcohol, and change in sleep following alcohol use).
Women in the PMS pattern group reported (retrospectively) higher levels of hard alcohol use, a less negative affective response
associated with alcohol use, and lower levels of sleep changes in relation to alcohol use, as compared to the mid-cycle group.
The discussion considers potential mechanisms that may be responsible for these associations (i.e., GABAA modulation).
was conducted to test the hypothesis that women with diverse patterns of affective response to the menstrual cycle (PMS pattern,
mid-cycle pattern, and noncyclical pattern) would show mean-level differences on measures of self-reported affective response
to alcohol, alcohol use, and sleep changes following alcohol use. All participants from an initial study of n = 213 college-aged women who had prospectively completed daily questionnaires for two full menstrual cycles were asked to
complete a one-time retrospective questionnaire regarding their alcohol use and typical affective response when consuming
alcohol. From that original study, n = 161 also participated in the present study. Results showed significant differences, in the expected direction, on three
out of five measures (hard alcohol use, negative affective response to alcohol, and change in sleep following alcohol use).
Women in the PMS pattern group reported (retrospectively) higher levels of hard alcohol use, a less negative affective response
associated with alcohol use, and lower levels of sleep changes in relation to alcohol use, as compared to the mid-cycle group.
The discussion considers potential mechanisms that may be responsible for these associations (i.e., GABAA modulation).
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Article
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s00737-012-0303-1
- Authors
- Jeff Kiesner, Dipartimento di Psicologia DPSS, Università degli Studi di Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padua, Italy
- Journal Archives of Women’s Mental Health
- Online ISSN 1435-1102
- Print ISSN 1434-1816