Pathways to traumatic stress
The roles of emotion regulation strategies and traumatic memory characteristics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21628096 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ekin Oztekin (0000-0001-9562-4841, Dokuz Eylül University, corresponding author), İnci Boyacıoğlu (0000-0002-1863-3792, Dokuz Eylül University), Ayşegül Durak Batıgün (0000-0002-8278-6419, Ankara University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Current Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12144-026-09504-9 |
| OpenAlex | W7161627049 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 71 |
The persistence of distressing memories is a core feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both the phenomenological characteristics of these memories and individual differences in emotion regulation are known to influence PTSD maintenance, yet the interplay between these factors is not well understood. This study examined the distinct pathways through which two emotion regulation strategies—cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression—are associated with traumatic stress via their influence on the characteristics of traumatic memory. A sample of 278 adults (211 female, 76%; 67 male, 24%) who reported experiencing a traumatic event completed an online survey assessing emotion regulation styles, phenomenological qualities of their traumatic memory (e.g., vividness, coherence, centrality), and current traumatic stress symptoms. The mean age of the participants found to be 27.80 years ( SD = 4.5), with a range of 18 to 43 years. As statistical analyses, two separate structural equation models were tested. Results supported the proposed models. Cognitive reappraisal was found to be associated with traumatic stress through a pathway of enhanced event characteristics and increased voluntary recall. In contrast, suppression was related to traumatic stress through a pathway involving heightened event characteristics and memory intrusion. These findings suggest that emotion regulation strategies do not act in isolation; rather, they shape the way traumatic events are processed in memory, which in turn drives trauma-related distress. This highlights the clinical importance of targeting maladaptive memory processes, such as rumination and intrusion management, in therapeutic interventions for PTSD
Autobiographical memory · Cognition · Cognitive reappraisal · Depressive symptoms · Expressive Suppression · Intrusion · Rumination · Traumatic memories · Traumatic stress · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Involuntary Autobiographical Memories
Dissociation and the fragmentary nature of traumatic memories
When a trauma becomes a key to identity
Psychological theories of posttraumatic stress disorder
A cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder
Thought Suppression
Phenomenal characteristics of memories for perceived and imagined autobiographical events.
Ironic processes of mental control.
Impact of Event Scale
Themes of Agency and Communion In Significant Autobiographical Scenes
The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation in the Recall of Negative Autobiographical Memories
Structural equation modeling in practice
Overgeneral autobiographical memory and traumatic events
Meaning making during high and low point life story episodes predicts emotion regulation two years later
Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes
| Highly cited | No |
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