Emotion Regulation Strategy Use and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Associations Between Multiple Strategies and Specific Symptom Clusters

Abstract

A growing literature suggests that emotion regulation (ER) is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, most of the studies in this literature have one or more important limitations, including examining only a single ER strategy (e.g., thought suppression) rather than multiple strategies simultaneously, examining PTSD at the syndrome level rather than by symptom cluster, and failing to control for negative affect. The present study sought to address these limitations by using latent variable modeling to examine the associations between multiple ER strategies and individual PTSD symptom clusters while controlling for negative affect. Of the four measurement models of ER strategy use examined, the best-fitting model allowed items corresponding to each included strategy to load onto their independent factors. Of the four measurement models of PTSD symptoms examined, the best-fitting model was the five-factor dysphoric arousal model. Results of structural models indicated that thought suppression and experiential avoidance were associated with most PTSD symptom clusters, even after controlling for negative affect. However, most other included ER strategies were not associated with any symptom clusters. A number of issues regarding measurement of ER and PTSD are discussed, and several suggestions for future research are provided.