This study investigated the conceptualization of emotion regulation difficulties in a sample of refugees with varying levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS), and examined whether specific emotion regulation difficulties were associated with PTS severity. Refugees were administered an abbreviated version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the PTSD Symptom Scale – Interview Version, and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine model fit for the 6-factor model originally proposed by the developers of the DERS and the more recently proposed 5-factor model that excludes the awareness subscale. Both models displayed adequate fit. After controlling for age, gender, time in Australia, and trauma exposure, the clarity and strategies subscales were significantly associated with PTS severity. The association between impaired emotional clarity and reduced agency related to accessing regulation strategies and PTS severity in this refugee sample highlights the need for further research to assess interventions that target these disruptions in refugees. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Traumatic stress posttraumatic stress disorder Refugees Emotion regulation Torture trauma

Models, Psychological psychological model refugee Australia Emotions human Refugees middle aged Aged interview Surveys and Questionnaires Young Adult Humans psychology Adolescent male female confirmatory factor analysis traumatology Harvard Trauma Questionnaire questionnaire Article emotion major clinical study adult gender emotionality posttraumatic stress disorder age Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic disease severity exposure to violence disease association Emotion Regulation Scale Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale concept formation time