Abstract

Although various psychological factors along with biological factors are known to contribute to premenstrual symptoms, only few studies have focused on the role of psychological factors. This study aimed to investigate whether neuroticism and emotion suppression significantly predict premenstrual symptoms using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and to examine the interaction effect of neuroticism and emotion suppression on premenstrual symptoms. In this study, neuroticism was assessed through a self-report questionnaire prior to EMA. Emotion suppression and premenstrual symptoms were measured using EMA for up to 10 days. Data from 80 women in their 20s whose premenstrual data were collected for three days or more were included in the analysis, and a hierarchical linear model was applied. At the within-person level, emotion suppression positively predicted premenstrual symptoms. At the between-person level, neuroticism positively predicted premenstrual symptoms. However, the interaction effect of neuroticism and emotional suppression on premenstrual symptoms was not significant. These findings suggest the importance of psychological factors, such as personality traits and emotional regulation strategies, in premenstrual symptoms and the need for further research on the relationship between these factors. Finally, limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.