Violence / Aggression
The roles of PTSD and emotion regulation in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and psychological aggression in a clinical sample of adults with substance use disorder
Samantha K. Berg, B.S.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Winter Springs, Florida
Laurel Meyer, B.A.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Ellicott City, Maryland
Meghan Mette, B.A.
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Baltimore, Maryland
Kevin Wenzel, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Maryland Treatment Centers/Mountain Manor
Baltimore, Maryland
Rebecca L. Schacht, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Baltimore, Maryland
Childhood adversity is associated with a range of problematic outcomes later in life, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder (SUD), and intimate partner violence perpetration (Hahn et al., 2015). Psychological aggression, an emotional form of intimate partner violence, is predicted by events such as child abuse and witnessing domestic violence (Chermack et al., 2008). Research assessing risk factors for adult perpetration of intimate partner violence suggests that PTSD may contribute to adult perpetration (Shorey et al., 2021). This may in part be due to emotion regulation difficulties associated with interpersonal traumatic events, particularly early-onset traumatic events (Ehring & Quack, 2010). Past research has found high rates of partner aggression in samples of participants with SUD, but no known studies to date have considered the mediating roles of PTSD and emotion regulation in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and psychological aggression in this population (Schumm et al., 2011; Murray et al., 2008).
The current study aims to assess whether PTSD and emotion regulation mediate the relationship between ACEs and psychological aggression among patients undergoing residential treatment for SUDs. Participants (N = 65 to date) completed the Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse (MMEA), the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACEs), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Short Form (Murphy & Hoover, 1999; Weathers et al., 2013; Felitti et al., 1998; Kaufman et al., 2016). The sample is majority male (75%) and racially and ethnically diverse (53% White; 42% Black; 7% Hispanic; 6% American Indian/Alaskan Native; 2% Asian; 2% Multiracial), with a mean age of 39.21 years (SD = 12.99). The mean PCL-5 score is 41.8 (SD = 23.24), and 87% of participants’ PCL5 scores are 31 or above, consistent with provisional diagnoses of PTSD. Mediation analysis will assess whether PTSD or emotion regulation indirectly influence the relationship between ACES and psychological aggression. Moderation analysis will assess whether PTSD and emotion regulation directly affect the relationship between ACES and psychological aggression. It is hypothesized that more severe PTSD symptoms and low emotion regulation skills will be associated with greater psychological aggression towards intimate partners. These findings will help clarify whether PTSD and emotion regulation are influential factors in adult perpetration of psychological aggression among people with SUDs.
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