Internalizing Mental Health Disorders and Emotion Regulation: A Comparative and Mediational Study of Older Adults With and Without a History of Complex Trauma Exposure

The impact of age-related differences in emotion dysregulation on refugee mental health and social outcomes

The refugee experience is typically characterized by exposure to numerous premigration traumatic events and postmigration stress in the resettlement environment. Refugees' experiences can lead to elevated rates of psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Emotion regulation is a key mechanism contributing to mental health outcomes among refugees. This study examined the impact of age on the association between emotion regulation and critical social outcomes relevant to refugee resettlement, such as social engagement and functional impairment. Participants were 1,081 Arabic-, Farsi-, Tamil- and English-speaking adult refugees. Premigration trauma exposure, postmigration stressors, PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, emotion regulation, social engagement, and functional impairment were measured. A series of hierarchical regression and Poisson regression analyses revealed emotion dysregulation as a significant predictor of functional impairment, β = .36, p < .001, and social engagement, Exp B = 0.99, p = .002. A significant interaction between age and emotion dysregulation was associated with both PTSD, β = .05, p = .048 and depressive symptoms, β = .06, p = .010, suggesting a stronger positive association between emotion dysregulation and both PTSD and depressive symptom severity for older individuals. Postmigration stressor exposure, emotion dysregulation, and older age are important factors that may negatively impact social engagement and functional impairment in the resettlement environment. Additionally, higher levels of trauma exposure may negatively impact social engagement. These findings have implications for public health and social services in the context of resettled refugee communities.

Predictors and (in-)stability of ICD-11 complex posttraumatic stress disorder in older adults: findings from a longitudinal study in Switzerland

Objective: There is a lack of research on complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) in older individuals, with little known about the temporal course of CPTSD. Therefore, this study assessed and compared the demographic characteristics, adverse childhood experiences (ACE), and well-being of Swiss older adults with and without probable CPTSD. The (in-)stability of probable CPTSD was also examined in relation to the predictive value of various emotion-related factors.Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted in Switzerland with N = 213 participants (Mage = 69.98 years, SD = 10.61; 45.5% female). Data was collected via face-to-face assessments at baseline and follow-up, 21 months apart. The German version of the International Trauma Questionnaire was used to screen for (C)PTSD. Standardized instruments were used to assess ACE as well as the predictors anger, embitterment, emotion regulation, and meaning in life.Results: From the total sample, n = 16 participants (7.5%) were identified as having probable CPTSD, with only five of these (31.25%) having probable CPTSD at both baseline and follow-up. Individuals with and without probable CPTSD differed significantly regarding age and employment status. Significant predictors of probable CPTSD were anger (β = 0.16), embitterment (β = 0.06), cognitive reappraisal (β = -0.41), and the presence of meaning in life (β = -0.10).Conclusions: Probable CPTSD appears to be relatively unstable over the course of a 21-month period in older individuals. The links between CPTSD and emotion-related predictors highlight potential targets for intervention.

Contact with nature for emotion regulation: the roles of nature connectedness and beauty engagement in urban young adults

Contact with nature has emotional benefits, but the psychological mechanism and potential moderator underlying the association between nature contact and emotion regulation remain unclear. The present study investigated how self-reported frequency of nature contact is associated with the use of emotion regulation strategies and explored the mediating role of nature connectedness (i.e., psychological connection to nature) and the moderating role of engagement with natural beauty. Employing mediation and moderated mediation analyses, in a cross-sectional sample of 2097 young adults aged 18-35 years old (M = 24.01, SD = 4.80) residing in urban China, we obtained three major findings. First, nature connectedness mediated the associations between direct/indirect nature contact and cognitive reappraisal as well as expressive suppression. Second, engagement with natural beauty moderated the path from direct/indirect nature contact to cognitive reappraisal in the mediation models. Third, engagement with natural beauty moderated the path from indirect nature contact to nature connectedness in the mediation models. Our study is the first to reveal mediating and moderating factors in the relationships among direct/indirect contact with nature, nature connectedness, engagement with natural beauty, and emotion regulation strategies. These findings provide support for the emotional health of nature contact and have implications for nature-based education and urban planning.