Profiles of emotion regulation and post‐traumatic stress severity among female victims of intimate partner violence

Abstract

Emotional dysregulation is a construct that has drawn substantial attention as a transdi-agnostic contributing factor to the loss of health. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a term used to describe physical, psychological, or sexual assault of a spouse or sexual partner. The aim of the study was to determine the variability of emotional dysregulation among women with different types of IPV revictimization and post‐traumatic stress. The cross‐sectional survey included 120 women attended by the Integrated Monitoring System of Gender Violence of Madrid, Spain, due to a gender violence complaint. The presence of post‐traumatic stress disorder (DSM 5 criteria), emotional dysregulation (Emotional Processing Scale (EPS)), childhood trauma, and type of revictimi-zation were evaluated. Cluster analysis found three profiles of emotional regulation: Emotionally Regulated, Avoidance/Non‐Impoverished, and Emotional Overwhelm. The results showed that the Emotional Overwhelm group was characterized by a general dysregulation of emotional experi-ences and a greater intensity of post‐traumatic stress symptoms. In addition, women who have suf-fered several episodes of IPV by different partners showed a differential pattern of emotional regulation than the rest of the victims that entailed greater psychopathology. Findings confirm that emotional dysregulation is a critical pathway to the decrease of health among IPV victims.