Repertoires of habitual emotion regulation strategy use in trauma-exposed undergraduates: associations with PTSD symptoms and emotional awareness

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Cameron P. Pugach (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Blair Wisco

Abstract: Emotion regulation (ER) is theorized to play a prominent role in the development and maintenance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although a large literature has documented the links between several ER strategies and PTSD symptoms, recent advancements in ER research emphasize the need to move beyond the treatment of ER strategies as isolated processes. Instead, there is a growing movement to understand ER repertoires, or the patterns in which trauma-exposed individuals select and deploy the multiple ER strategies available to them based on the demands and opportunities imposed by the situation. Accordingly, the nuanced information derived from attending to and understanding one’s emotional experiences might play a key role in facilitating the effective selection and implementation of ER strategies. The current study examined person-centered repertoires of the habitual use of eleven ER strategies among 372 undergraduates exposed to Criterion A trauma – and their relations to PTSD symptoms and two key facets of emotional awareness (attention to emotion and emotional clarity). Latent profile analysis yielded a three-profile solution (Adaptive, Average, and Maladaptive Regulators) and profile differences were evident with respect to PTSD symptoms and emotional clarity, but not attention to emotion, even after adjusting for negative affect. Findings suggest that successful identification and understanding of one’s emotions might help foster healthy use of ER strategies and buffer against the development of PTSD among trauma-exposed individuals.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2020
Keywords
Emotion regulation, Emotional awareness, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Subjects
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Emotions
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