An Investigation of Laboratory-Based Positive and Negative Emotional Suppression in Relation to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters

Background: Emotional suppression is a clinically significant aspect of emotion regulation with robust associations to psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite the fast-growing body of literature highlighting the role of positive emotion regulation difficulties in the development and maintenance of PTSD, extant work on emotional suppression and PTSD has almost exclusively focused on the role of negative emotions. Objective: The present study aimed to advance this literature by examining the associations between PTSD symptom clusters and participants' use of state emotional suppression during a laboratory task designed to elicit negative or positive emotions. Method: Participants were 108 community women (M-age = 39.55; 33% Black/African American) currently experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) by a male partner and using substances. Participants were interviewed using a structured diagnostic assessment for PTSD and reported on state emotional intensity and emotional suppression following idiographic negative or positive emotion inductions. Results: Results of the moderation analyses showed that, when controlling for state emotional intensity, women experiencing clinical levels of PTSD symptom Clusters B (intrusive recollections), D (negative alterations in cognitions and mood), and E (alterations in arousal and reactivity) were significantly more likely to utilize emotional suppression, but only in the context of positive-not negative-emotions. Conclusions: Findings provide evidence for a link between PTSD and positive emotional suppression among women currently experiencing IPV by a male partner and using substances, highlighting positive emotional suppression as a potential target in PTSD treatment for IPV populations with comorbid substance use concerns. Clinical Impact Statement Results of this study suggest that women experiencing clinical levels of posttraumatic stress disorder symptom Clusters B (intrusive recollections), D (negative alterations in cognitions and mood), and E (alterations in arousal and reactivity) are more likely to engage in efforts to decrease or eliminate positive emotional experiences. These findings underscore the potential utility of addressing positive emotional suppression in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.