Cyclical symptom change across the menstrual cycle: Attributional, affective, and physical symptoms

Although menstrual cycle-related changes in psychological and physical symptoms have been the focus of study for decades, important gaps remain in our understanding of these changes. In the present study we test for individual differences and covariations in cyclical changes across diverse symptom domains, including physical symptoms, affective disturbances, and attributional style. Using prospective daily reports across two full menstrual cycles from n = 163 young adult women (M = 19.54 years), the present study applies a combination of within-person analyses (cosine function regressions) and structural equation modeling to examine individual differences, factor structure, and symptom-specific associations. Results suggest: (1) individual differences in cyclical change are consistently significant and relatively more important than average levels of change, (2) cyclical change across diverse symptom types are best modeled as separate but correlated factors, and (3) future research should also consider attributional style, along with cyclical changes in affective and physical symptoms.