Effect of positive reframing and social support on perception of perimenstrual changes among women with premenstrual syndrome

Abstract

Traditional menstrual cycle research reflects a stereotypical negative bias that does not encompass the complexity of the phenomena. For example, even though the majority of menstrual cycle literature has focused on negative changes during the perimenstruum, some women report positive changes. This article describes a unique intervention aimed at refraining perceptions of menstrual cycle experiences for the purpose of diminishing perimenstrual impairment. The intervention was a health promotion program that provided social support and a positive reframing component for women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) across four menstrual cycles. Through use of a preexperimental design, data were collected on 18 women. Daily measures included prospective assessment of perceptions of perimenstrual changes (impairment and activation). Retrospective assessments of moods (anxiety and depression), social resources (personal resources and marital satisfaction), and perimenstrual change perceptions were gathered at three time periods—before, during, and after the experimental condition. Data analyses included descriptive and multivariate strategies. Results indicated that, although perimenstrual activation did not increase significantly, impairment did decrease. In addition, there were significant changes from baseline to follow‐up on state depression and personal resource variables. Findings from this study underscore the need for further investigation of the wide continuum of women's diverse menstrual cycle experiences.