Digital Commons @ SPU

Emotion Regulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Trauma and Functioning for First Responders

Research suggests that first responders may be at increased risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms due to routine exposure to potentially traumatic events, which can negatively impact functioning across life domains. Given that impairment in emotion regulation is associated with increased PTSD symptom severity, our current study aims to explore the role of emotion regulation in the cognitive and emotional processes that can occur in response to chronic trauma exposure. The purpose of the study is to understand whether trauma predicts functional status, and the extent to which emotion regulation mediates this relationship in first responders. Results from data analysis were consistent with our proposed mediation model, suggesting that the relationship between trauma symptoms and functional impairment may be explained through emotion regulation. Given these findings, interventions targeting the improvement of emotion regulation may prove valuable in trauma-informed treatment to address functional impairment.