Flexible emotional regulation typology: associations with PTSD symptomology and trait resilience

Eric Spikol; Emily McGlinchey; Martin Robinson; Cherie Armour

doi:10.1186/s40359-024-01573-4

Flexible emotional regulation typology: associations with PTSD symptomology and trait resilience

Eric Spikol, Emily McGlinchey, Martin Robinson, Cherie Armour^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

69 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background
Multiple factors influence posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk in trauma exposed individuals. An established association exists between trait resilience and decreased PTSD distress and between emotion regulation (ER) ability/flexibility and trait resilience. Typologies in ER ability/flexibility, associated with trait resilience and PTSD experience, could explain the difference in risk. This study aimed to explore the relationship between ER ability, ER flexibility, context sensitivity, resilience, and PTSD.

Methods
Data from N = 563 trauma exposed UK residents was used in a latent profile analysis (LPA) and membership in the resultant profiles was explored in a logistic regression of sociodemographics, resilience, and PTSD symptomology.

Results
Analysis showed 2 latent profiles (High Flexibility, Low Flexibility) typified by emotion regulation ability and context sensitivity. Members of the Low Flexibility profile were more likely to be younger, male, endorsing less trait resilience, and experiencing negative cognition/mood and hyperarousal PTSD symptomology.

Conclusions
Difficulties in ER ability and flexibility could be improved with targeted learning in a therapeutic or home setting, potentially increasing trait resilience after trauma exposure and reducing PTSD distress.

Original language	English
Article number	79
Number of pages	10
Journal	BMC Psychology
Volume	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01573-4
Publication status	Published - 16 Feb 2024

Keywords

Resilience
PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder
Emotion regulation
Flexibility
emotion regulation sequence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Psychology

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10.1186/s40359-024-01573-4Licence: CC BY

Flexible emotional regulation typology: associations with PTSD symptomology and trait resilience
© 2024 The Authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the author and source are cited.
Final published version, 1.26 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Flexible emotional regulation typology: associations with PTSD symptomology and trait resilience",

abstract = "BackgroundMultiple factors influence posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk in trauma exposed individuals. An established association exists between trait resilience and decreased PTSD distress and between emotion regulation (ER) ability/flexibility and trait resilience. Typologies in ER ability/flexibility, associated with trait resilience and PTSD experience, could explain the difference in risk. This study aimed to explore the relationship between ER ability, ER flexibility, context sensitivity, resilience, and PTSD.MethodsData from N = 563 trauma exposed UK residents was used in a latent profile analysis (LPA) and membership in the resultant profiles was explored in a logistic regression of sociodemographics, resilience, and PTSD symptomology.ResultsAnalysis showed 2 latent profiles (High Flexibility, Low Flexibility) typified by emotion regulation ability and context sensitivity. Members of the Low Flexibility profile were more likely to be younger, male, endorsing less trait resilience, and experiencing negative cognition/mood and hyperarousal PTSD symptomology.ConclusionsDifficulties in ER ability and flexibility could be improved with targeted learning in a therapeutic or home setting, potentially increasing trait resilience after trauma exposure and reducing PTSD distress.",

keywords = "Resilience, PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder, Emotion regulation, Flexibility, emotion regulation sequence",

author = "Eric Spikol and Emily McGlinchey and Martin Robinson and Cherie Armour",

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doi = "10.1186/s40359-024-01573-4",

language = "English",

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journal = "BMC Psychology",

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T1 - Flexible emotional regulation typology: associations with PTSD symptomology and trait resilience

AU - Spikol, Eric

AU - McGlinchey, Emily

AU - Robinson, Martin

AU - Armour, Cherie

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Y1 - 2024/2/16

N2 - BackgroundMultiple factors influence posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk in trauma exposed individuals. An established association exists between trait resilience and decreased PTSD distress and between emotion regulation (ER) ability/flexibility and trait resilience. Typologies in ER ability/flexibility, associated with trait resilience and PTSD experience, could explain the difference in risk. This study aimed to explore the relationship between ER ability, ER flexibility, context sensitivity, resilience, and PTSD.MethodsData from N = 563 trauma exposed UK residents was used in a latent profile analysis (LPA) and membership in the resultant profiles was explored in a logistic regression of sociodemographics, resilience, and PTSD symptomology.ResultsAnalysis showed 2 latent profiles (High Flexibility, Low Flexibility) typified by emotion regulation ability and context sensitivity. Members of the Low Flexibility profile were more likely to be younger, male, endorsing less trait resilience, and experiencing negative cognition/mood and hyperarousal PTSD symptomology.ConclusionsDifficulties in ER ability and flexibility could be improved with targeted learning in a therapeutic or home setting, potentially increasing trait resilience after trauma exposure and reducing PTSD distress.

AB - BackgroundMultiple factors influence posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk in trauma exposed individuals. An established association exists between trait resilience and decreased PTSD distress and between emotion regulation (ER) ability/flexibility and trait resilience. Typologies in ER ability/flexibility, associated with trait resilience and PTSD experience, could explain the difference in risk. This study aimed to explore the relationship between ER ability, ER flexibility, context sensitivity, resilience, and PTSD.MethodsData from N = 563 trauma exposed UK residents was used in a latent profile analysis (LPA) and membership in the resultant profiles was explored in a logistic regression of sociodemographics, resilience, and PTSD symptomology.ResultsAnalysis showed 2 latent profiles (High Flexibility, Low Flexibility) typified by emotion regulation ability and context sensitivity. Members of the Low Flexibility profile were more likely to be younger, male, endorsing less trait resilience, and experiencing negative cognition/mood and hyperarousal PTSD symptomology.ConclusionsDifficulties in ER ability and flexibility could be improved with targeted learning in a therapeutic or home setting, potentially increasing trait resilience after trauma exposure and reducing PTSD distress.

KW - Resilience

KW - PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder

KW - Emotion regulation

KW - Flexibility

KW - emotion regulation sequence

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VL - 12

JO - BMC Psychology

JF - BMC Psychology

M1 - 79

ER -

Flexible emotional regulation typology: associations with PTSD symptomology and trait resilience

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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