Shepherd Laura, Wild Jennifer
Department of Clinical Psychology & Neuropsychology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK.
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, England OX1 3UD, UK.
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2014 Sep;45(3):360-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.03.002. Epub 2014 Mar 26.
Retrospective studies suggest a link between PTSD and difficulty regulating negative emotions. This study investigated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and the ability to regulate negative emotions in real-time using a computerised task to assess emotion regulation.
Trauma-exposed ambulance workers (N = 45) completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms and depression. Participants then completed a computer task requiring them to enhance, decrease or maintain their negative emotions in response to unpleasant images. Skin conductance responses (SCR) were recorded and participants also made ratings of emotion intensity. Immediately after the computer task, participants were asked to describe the strategies they had used to regulate their negative emotions during the task and recorded spontaneous intrusions for the unpleasant images they had seen throughout the following week.
PTSD symptoms were associated with difficulty regulating (specifically, enhancing) negative emotions, greater use of response modulation (i.e., suppression) and less use of cognitive change (i.e., reappraisal) strategies to down-regulate their negative emotions during the task. More intrusions developed in participants who had greater reductions in physiological arousal whilst decreasing their negative emotions.
PTSD was measured by self-report rather than by a clinician administered interview. The results suggest a relationship between emotion regulation ability and PTSD symptoms rather than emotion regulation and PTSD.
Difficulty regulating negative emotions may be a feature of trauma-exposed individuals with PTSD symptoms, which may be linked to the types of strategies they employ to regulate negative emotions.
回顾性研究表明创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）与负面情绪调节困难之间存在联系。本研究使用计算机任务评估情绪调节，调查了PTSD症状与实时调节负面情绪能力之间的关系。
经历过创伤的救护人员（N = 45）完成了关于创伤暴露、PTSD症状和抑郁的自我报告测量。参与者随后完成一项计算机任务，要求他们根据不愉快的图像增强、减少或维持自己的负面情绪。记录皮肤电反应（SCR），参与者还对情绪强度进行评分。在计算机任务结束后，立即要求参与者描述他们在任务期间用于调节负面情绪的策略，并记录他们在接下来一周内对所看到的不愉快图像的自发侵入情况。
PTSD症状与调节（特别是增强）负面情绪困难、更多地使用反应调节（即抑制）以及在任务期间较少使用认知改变（即重新评估）策略来下调负面情绪有关。在减少负面情绪时生理唤醒降低幅度更大的参与者中出现了更多的侵入情况。
PTSD是通过自我报告而非临床医生进行的访谈来测量的。结果表明情绪调节能力与PTSD症状之间存在关系，而非情绪调节与PTSD之间的关系。
调节负面情绪困难可能是有PTSD症状的创伤暴露个体的一个特征，这可能与他们用于调节负面情绪的策略类型有关。
