Abstract
Hormone fluctuation has been associated with depressive symptoms. Previous research has demonstrated that the efficacy of emotion regulation differs by menstrual cycle phase. Inconsistency in the efficacy of emotion regulation could decrease emotion regulation self-efficacy, which could lead to depressive symptoms. To investigate if poor emotion regulation and poor emotion regulation self-efficacy link the relationship between hormone fluctuation and depressive symptoms, we had subjects (18-25 years old) complete measures of depressive symptoms and emotion regulation self-efficacy. They also reported state negative affect before and after negative videos so we could assess their efficacy of emotion regulation. We operationalized hormone fluctuation with four groups: naturally cycling females (most fluctuation), females with an IUD or hormonal implant (less fluctuation), females taking monophasic oral contraceptives (most stable females), and males (stable). We found that the monophasic group had higher scores of depressive symptoms than males when sensitization (reaction to the second video compared to the first), efficacy of emotion regulation, Furthermore, only among naturally cycling females, the efficacy of emotion regulation was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that monophasic oral contraceptives may not effectively improve depressive symptoms through improving emotion regulation. Additionally, the efficacy of emotion regulation seems to be particularly important for those with greater hormonal fluctuation.