Emotion regulation difficulties in PTSD

Abstract Research on the role of emotion regulation in the development, maintenance, consequences, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has grown rapidly over the past two decades. This body of research demonstrates that PTSD is associated with an overreliance on putatively maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (e.g., emotional avoidance) and broad deficits in emotion regulation abilities (e.g., low emotional clarity). Moreover, studies demonstrate that difficulties in emotion regulation may underlie a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors commonly observed among individuals with PTSD, such as substance misuse. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the literature on emotion regulation and PTSD. The chapter first provides definitions of two prominent models of emotion regulation, followed by a brief discussion as to how these models can be integrated. We then review representative studies that show how each model of emotion regulation can be applied to PTSD. Next, we discuss a new area of research on emotion regulation and PTSD—difficulties in the regulation of positive emotions. We conclude the chapter with a discussion of treatment implications stemming from research on PTSD and emotion regulation.