Investigating the Relationship Between Affective Empathic Responsiveness and Psychological Distress Across the Menstrual Cycle

Research into menstruation is underfunded and often overlooked. Previous studies suggest that the menstrual cycle can affect a person’s mental health and empathic responsiveness. Most previous studies are cross-sectional, which is why longitudinal, within-person studies are important to clarify the reliability of these findings. This study aimed to investigate the within-subjects relationship between affective empathic responsiveness and emotional distress across different time points in the menstrual cycle (the early follicular, late follicular and late luteal phases). This online, within-subjects, longitudinal study had 70 participants taking part in four sessions. In three of those (scheduled according to their cycle phase), participants underwent an empathy task called the Tübinger Empathy Task (TeT), and a series of cognitive tests including the mini-DASS (which measured psychological distress). The results do not support the hypothesis that menstrual cycle phase influences...Show moreResearch into menstruation is underfunded and often overlooked. Previous studies suggest that the menstrual cycle can affect a person’s mental health and empathic responsiveness. Most previous studies are cross-sectional, which is why longitudinal, within-person studies are important to clarify the reliability of these findings. This study aimed to investigate the within-subjects relationship between affective empathic responsiveness and emotional distress across different time points in the menstrual cycle (the early follicular, late follicular and late luteal phases). This online, within-subjects, longitudinal study had 70 participants taking part in four sessions. In three of those (scheduled according to their cycle phase), participants underwent an empathy task called the Tübinger Empathy Task (TeT), and a series of cognitive tests including the mini-DASS (which measured psychological distress). The results do not support the hypothesis that menstrual cycle phase influences affective empathy towards a close other, nor that participants with more psychological distress showed lower levels of affective empathic responsiveness, and that this effect was more pronounced in the LL phase compared to the other phases. This study found evidence against the hypothesis that psychological distress was significantly higher during the LL phase compared to the other phases, with results showing higher distress in the EF than the LF phase. This study is one of the first to investigate cognitive and emotional factors relating to the menstrual cycle in a within-subjects, longitudinal manner, and it could serve to motivate future research which could improve the lives of those who menstruate.Show less

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Investigating the Relationship Between Affective Empathic Responsiveness and Psychological Distress Across the Menstrual Cycle