Emotion dysregulation and posttraumatic stress symptom severity: The influence of cortisol reactivity following idiographic emotion inductions.

OBJECTIVE

Emotion dysregulation plays a central role in the etiology and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Individual differences in physiological responses to emotionally evocative events may influence the strength of this association. The objective of this study was to test whether cortisol reactivity following idiographic emotion induction tasks moderated the relation between emotion dysregulation and PTSS severity.

METHOD

Participants were 94 community women currently experiencing intimate partner violence and using substances (age: = 40.5 years; 35.2% Black; 61.5% unemployed). PTSS severity was assessed at baseline via a clinician-administered diagnostic interview. Participants provided a self-report of emotion dysregulation at baseline. Samples of salivary cortisol were collected pre-, during, and postidiographic emotion inductions during an experimental session.

RESULTS

A significant emotion dysregulation by cortisol reactivity interaction was found ( = 0.18, = .02). Emotion dysregulation was related to PTSS severity for those with high ( = 0.13, < .001), but not low ( = -0.001, = .99), levels of cortisol reactivity following idiographic emotion inductions.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide novel evidence of the interplay of emotion dysregulation and cortisol reactivity, an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system axis stress reactivity, following emotionally evocative stimuli in relation to PTSS severity. Information from this study may help to identify individuals who are at highest risk of more severe PTSS. Future work is needed to replicate findings among diverse populations impacted by trauma (e.g., veterans, men). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).