Goncharenko, S., Forkus, S. R., Contractor, A. A., Kiefer, R., & Weiss, N. H. (2021). The role of positive emotion dysregulation in the relationship between childhood abuse and PTSD in a community sample of veterans. Child Abuse & Neglect, 114, 104979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.104979

This study examined whether positive emotion dysregulation explained the association between child abuse (e.g., emotional, physical, sexual) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of 465 Veterans. The authors hypothesized that victims of child abuse have more difficulty accepting and managing positive emotions, in turn contributing to the severity of PTSD symptoms (i.e., intrusion, avoidance, negative changes in thoughts and mood, and hyperarousal and reactivity). The study also examined gender differences in rates of child abuse and probable PTSD diagnosis (i.e., exceeding a particular score on PTSD assessment). Consistent with their hypothesis, the authors found positive emotion dysregulation to be an explanation for the association between childhood abuse and PTSD symptoms.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.104979

Child maltreatment
Mental health
Trauma
Veterans

Multiple branches
Air Force
Army
Coast Guard
Marine Corps
Navy

Veteran

Military families
Veteran

Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)

Cross-Sectional Study
Quantitative Study

Goncharenko, Svetlana, Forkus, Shannon R., Contractor, Ateka A., Kiefer, Reina, Weiss, Nicole H.

Background The co-occurrence of childhood abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among United States military veterans is highly prevalent and clinically significant. Emotion dysregulation is one factor that has been found to underlie the association between childhood abuse and PTSD, yet past research has focused exclusively on dysregulation stemming from negative emotions. Objective The current study extends existing research by clarifying the role of positive emotion dysregulation in the relation between childhood abuse and PTSD in a community sample of military veterans. Participants and setting Participants were 465 trauma-exposed military veterans in the community (Mage = 38.00, 71.6 % women, 69.5 % White). Method Using structural equation modeling, we tested the indirect association of childhood abuse to PTSD symptom severity through positive emotion dysregulation. Results The hypothesized model showed adequate model fit, χ2 (32, n = 465) = 176.22, p < .001, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .10, 90 % CI [.08, .11], SRMR = .04. Results showed that childhood abuse was indirectly associated with PTSD symptom severity through positive emotion dysregulation. Conclusions This finding highlights the potential utility of targeting positive emotion dysregulation in the detection and treatment of PTSD symptoms in veterans who experienced childhood abuse.

Elsevier Science

Article
REACH Publication
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