Neuroticism, extroversion, and premenstrual negative affect.
35 unmarried women students participated in a study to provide evidence of an interrelationship between premenstrual negative affect personality traits and oral contraceptives. 18 had been taking oral contraceptives for at least 3 months prior to the study. 17 were either nonusers of oral contraceptives or had been without them for the 3 months prior to the study. The subjects completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory to obtain measures of extroversion and neuroticism. Subjects also completed a Negative Affect Questionnaire. The full questionnaire was completed on each day of a full menstrual cycle. Subjects who were nonusers of oral contraceptives showed that anxiety was postiviely correlated with neuroticism (N) scores. This was absent from subjects taking the pill. Premenstrual depression was negatively assoicated with extroversion (E) scores in subjects taking the pill. When anxiety and depression scores were combied to produce a total negative affect score it was found that for all subjects this was negatively correlated with E and that for the pill-taking group it was positively correlated with N. The study indicates the need for more work in this area.