Indirect Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms via Emotion Regulation Difficulties

Abstract

This study tested structural equation models of associations between childhood maltreatment (CM), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in a sample of young adult college students (N = 606). The primary final model demonstrated that lack of emotional clarity and limited access to ER strategies partially mediated the association between CM and PTSD symptoms. Exploratory analyses showed that CM was also indirectly associated with PTSD symptoms via lack of emotional awareness, nonacceptance, and difficulty controlling impulses. A near-equivalent model revealed reverse associations: PTSD symptoms mediated the association between CM and ER difficulties. The current study provided some empirical evidence to the theoretical sequence of ER and replicated indirect effects of CM on PTSD symptoms via ER difficulties.

Keywords: PTSD; childhood abuse and neglect; emotion regulation; structural equation model.