Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Depressive Symptoms Among Inpatient Adolescents: The Underlying Role of Emotion Regulation

ABSTRACTThe present study examined emotion regulation as a potential mechanism in the relationship between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression among 50 inpatient adolescents receiving psychiatric care at an inpatient mental hospital. PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms. Mediation analyses and bias-corrected bootstrapping techniques supported emotion dysregulation as a mechanism underlying the association between PTSD and depression symptoms. These findings support the notion that adolescents with clinical levels of PTSD symptoms may engage in ineffective emotion regulation strategies, such as emotional avoidance and suppression, which may, in turn, be associated with increased depression. Findings and implications are discussed.