Date of Award
1-1-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
First Advisor
John N. Young
Second Advisor
Laura R. Johnson
Third Advisor
Scott A. Gustafson
School
University of Mississippi
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) or emotion dysregulation (ED) mediate the association between trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in adults and adolescents. However, elucidating how the specific facets of emotion dysregulation may differentially mediate the development of PTSS following trauma in adolescents could benefit the formation of more targeted interventions for PTSS in traumatized youth. The current study examined whether facets of ED mediated the relationship between exposure to traumatic events and PTSS in an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents residing in an inpatient psychiatric facility in Mississippi. Due to prior scholarship finding gender differences in trauma exposure, difficulties in facets of ER, and the development of PTSS, the moderating effect of gender was also explored. Participants included 154 youth (77 females and males) aged 12-17 (M = 14.35, SD = 1.44), who reported their trauma history, current PTSS, and difficulties in ER. Results suggest that ED as a total construct mediated the relationship between trauma and PTSD-symptoms, however only the facet of difficulties accessing/engaging ER strategies significantly mediated the same relationship separately. Gender differences were absorbed in frequencies of trauma and types of trauma, PTSS, and ED, but gender did not moderate any of the relationships between the variables. These results highlight the potential of examining facets of ED and ED as a total construct in the development of PTSD symptoms in adolescents. However, future research should validate measures of ED in diverse, understudied, and at-risk populations and explore targeted interventions suited to these populations.
Recommended Citation
Elligett, Elise Marie, "Trauma, Emotion Dysregulation, And Posttraumatic Symptoms In An Inpatient Adolescent Population: Testing Multiple Mediators" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1907.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1907