Embodied Resilience: A Quasi-Experimental Exploration of the Effects of a Trauma-Informed Yoga and Mindfulness Curriculum in Carceral Settings.

Exploring the Impact of a Trauma-informed Yoga and Mindfulness Curriculum for Multiple Populations: A Pilot Study

To date, much of the research in criminology and criminal justice maintains a focus on risk. Far less attention is given to the potential for and prediction of resilience among those who are justice-involved. This study explored the connection between strength-based factors and carceral resilience rooted in the resilience portfolio model (Hamby et al., 2018). The sample included 309 incarcerated individuals from three correctional facilities in Northeast Florida, with data collected through self-report measures and analyzed using random-effects panel regression models. Participants were either enrolled in a 6-week trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness program or assigned to a waitlist control group. Psychosocial strengths were key correlates of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among incarcerated individuals. Prayer, self-compassion, emotional awareness, and anger management were positively associated with PTG. Sleep quality emerged as a consistent correlate of PTG. Within this context, participation in a trauma-informed embodied mindfulness program was associated with higher PTG over time. The findings support the application of the resilience portfolio model in carceral contexts and highlight the potential of embodied, trauma-informed interventions to foster resilience. Implications include the need for holistic, strength-based programming in correctional settings and further exploration of embodied resilience. This research contributes to a growing body of literature emphasizing the capacity for healing among justice-involved populations. Understanding PTG in carceral settings can inform successful reentry and reintegration, as well as support prevention strategies and alternatives to incarceration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This paper explores strength-based trauma-informed embodied mindfulness programming for justice-impacted individuals. Too frequently, the criminal legal process is focused on risk and punishment. Justice-involved people come to the system with significant trauma histories, and the criminal legal process itself can be traumatizing. Trauma-informed practice recognizes the trauma histories of justice-involved individuals as well as the potential for resilience. This paper examined the implementation of a trauma-informed embodied mindfulness curriculum using a mixed-methods design, drawing on approximately 10,000 paired pre-post class surveys and over 400 pre-post curriculum surveys, supported by 412 qualitative responses. The study found significant short-term and sustained benefits across specialty court, carceral, and behavioral health settings, with additional pre-post class gains observed among participants in reentry programs. Quantitative analyses indicated significant post-class reductions in pain and stress as well as improvements in mood. Pre- to post-curriculum measures demonstrated increases in posttraumatic growth, emotional awareness, emotional regulation, self-compassion, and mindfulness, with variation in outcomes across settings. Qualitative data reinforced these findings, demonstrating the presence of multidimensional psychosocial strengths among participants in all populations. Findings support the integration of trauma-informed, body-based practices in justice and behavioral health systems and propose an expansion of resilience theory to include embodied dimensions.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have poorer social and vocational functioning, emotional dysregulation, cognitive and executive function deficits, which place a heavy strain on the person and the community. Aim: explore the effectiveness of the nursing intervention program based on emotional awareness and emotion regulation on the social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Design: A quasi-experimental design, one group (pre and post-test) was utilized. Subjects: A purposive sample of 60 patients with schizophrenia. Study setting: Inpatient psychiatric wards at El-Azazi Hospital for Mental Health and Addiction Management in Abo Hamad City, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. Tools: Demographic and clinical data questionnaire of schizophrenic patients, Toronto Alexithymia scale, emotion regulation questionnaire, and social function questionnaire. Results: The nursing intervention program based on emotional awareness and regulation had a statistically significant effect (P = 0.0001) on social functioning among studied patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: The nursing intervention program based on emotional awareness and regulation has a great effect in enhancing social functioning, raising emotional awareness and regulation as well as lowering alexithymia levels in studied schizophrenic patients. Recommendation: Emotional awareness and regulation intervention nursing program should be given to all schizophrenic patients to improve their social functioning, enhance emotional awareness, regulation and reduce their levels of alexithymia.

Natural disasters not only cause material losses but also profoundly impact the psychological world of affected individuals, particularly their core belief systems. This study innovatively proposes the subjective perceptual concept of social capital sense, expanding the limitations of traditional objective measurements of social capital. Focusing on residents in the earthquake-stricken area of Shigatse, Tibet, China, on January 7, 2025, this research explores the dual relationships between core beliefs changes and emotion regulation. The study examines the relationships between core beliefs changes and post-traumatic growth, core beliefs changes and social capital sense, post-traumatic growth and emotion regulation, and social capital sense and emotion regulation, as well as the moderating role of individuals’ religiousness orientation. A two-stage questionnaire survey was conducted with 553 affected residents, and structural equation modeling was employed for analysis. The findings reveal that core beliefs changes are significantly positively correlated with post-traumatic growth, and post-traumatic growth is significantly positively correlated with emotion regulation. Core beliefs changes are significantly negatively correlated with social capital sense, while social capital sense is significantly positively correlated with emotion regulation. Religiousness orientation moderates both the relationship between beliefs changes and post traumatic growth and the relationship between core beliefs changes and social capital sense. Among individuals with high religious orientation, the positive relationship between core beliefs changes and post-traumatic growth is stronger, and the negative relationship with social capital sense is weaker. This study provides a theoretical basis for post-disaster psychological interventions, suggesting that differentiated strategies based on the psychological dimensions of affected residents can promote more effective psychological recovery.

Social functioning (SF) difficulties are ubiquitous among individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR), but it is not yet clear why. One possibility is suggested by the observation that effective SF requires adaptive emotion awareness and regulation. Previous reports have documented deficits in emotion awareness and regulation in individuals with schizophrenia, and have shown that such deficits predicted SF. However, it is unknown whether these deficits are present prior to the onset of psychosis or whether they are linked to SF in CHR individuals. We conducted a cross-sectional comparison of emotion awareness and regulation in 54 individuals at CHR, 87 with schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls (HC). Then, within the CHR group, we examined links between emotion awareness, emotion regulation and SF as indexed by the Global Functioning Scale: Social (Cornblatt et al. 2007). Group comparisons indicated significant differences between HC and the two clinical groups in their ability to identify and describe feelings, as well as the use of suppression and reappraisal emotion-regulation strategies. Specifically, the CHR and schizophrenia groups displayed comparable deficits in all domains of emotion awareness and emotion regulation. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that difficulties describing feelings accounted for 23.2% of the SF variance. The results indicate that CHR individuals display substantial emotion awareness and emotion-regulation deficits, at severity comparable with those observed in individuals with schizophrenia. Such deficits, in particular difficulties describing feelings, predate the onset of psychosis and contribute significantly to poor SF in this population.

BackgroundWith the advent of the recovery movement in mental health, a humanistic paradigm shift has occurred, placing the focus on personal recovery (i.e., hope, identity, and life meaning) instead of functional or clinical recovery only (i.e., symptom reduction or increases in physical function). Along the journey of recovery, people with bipolar disorder (BD) struggle to cope with recurring mood fluctuations between depression and mania. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have the potential to result in improvements in personal recovery outcomes. Thus, this protocol will evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of a brief MBI for helping individuals with BD with their personal recovery. It is hypothesized that adults with BD randomly assigned to a brief MBI intervention will report greater improvements in personal recovery than those in a waiting list control condition. In addition, it is hypothesized that such benefits will be mediated by improvements in emotion awareness, emotion regulation, and illness acceptance. Moreover, the specific stage of BD is hypothesized to moderate the beneficial effects of the brief MBI, such that those in the early stage of BD will report more benefits regarding emotion awareness and emotion regulation, whereas those in the late stage of BD will report more advantages concerning illness acceptance.MethodOne hundred and fifty-four adults with BD will be recruited from hospitals and community settings for this research project. This study will use a mixed methods design. A randomized-controlled trial will be conducted to compare a brief MBI (four sessions in total) group and a waiting list control group. Assessments will be made at baseline, after intervention, and at six-month follow-up. In addition, a qualitative and participatory research method called Photovoice will be employed to further understand the experiences of the participants who receive the brief MBI along their personal recovery journey.DiscussionIf the study hypotheses are supported, the findings from this research project will provide empirical support for an alternative treatment. Moreover, by identifying the mechanisms of the beneficial effects of the brief MBI, the findings will highlight process variables that could be specifically targeted to make MBI treatment even more effective in this population.Trial registrationThis study is registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR- 1900024658). Registered 20th July 2019.

IntroductionEmotional awareness and emotion regulation are essential skills for psychological well-being, especially in college students, who frequently experience stressful situations and emotional challenges. Therefore, interventions aimed at developing skills such as stress management and frustration tolerance can be important to enhance emotional awareness and regulation, contributing to the promotion of mental health in this population.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a mental health promotion program, focusing on the development of emotional awareness and regulation in college students.MethodsThis study employed a pretest-posttest design, and nonparametric tests were used. Measures:Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); 2) Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and an interview with six open questions to evaluated the individual perception of the impact of the intervention. Participants: nine Portuguese female college students, with an average age of 19,77 years (SD=1.48). The intervention consisted of six face-to-face sessions, lasting 60 minutes each, with theoretical and practical aspects for skill training of stress management, emotional regulation, and frustration tolerance.ResultsThe results suggested a decrease in levels of anxiety (p=.07), depression (p=.03), and stress (p=.07) after the intervention. There was also a decrease in emotional regulation difficulties for the participants (p=.01), notably in difficulties regarding strategies (p=.02), impulses (p=.03), and non-acceptance (p=.05). For the subscales of awareness, goals, and clarity, although the results showed a decrease, there was no statistical significance. It stands out from the analysis of the students’ answers to the open questions, that they developed their emotional regulation skills and they also highlighted the importance of the close supervision and support throughout the process, as well as the practical nature of the sessions.ConclusionsThe results suggest that the intervention program can contribute to enhance emotion regulation and promoting mental health of college students. Suggestions for future studies would be to replicate the intervention with a larger sample and with group control.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

“Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents” is written as a “practitioner's guide” to facilitating emotion regulation in elementary school–age children to adolescents. The book, written and directed toward therapists, is divided into 2 sections; the first section provides an overview and theoretical background on emotions and emotion regulation, whereas the second part provides treatment strategies to develop skills in emotion awareness and emotion regulation. Although the book was not intended to serve as a stand-alone treatment program, it offers a set of modular treatment interventions to address emotion-related deficits in elementary school–age children and older. Although the modules are not designed to address specific DSM-5 diagnoses, the interventions may help mitigate the symptoms associated with DSM-5 conditions. Of note, the author states that the interventions discussed have been validated in the outpatient and school settings and may be generalizable to other settings. Although written and directed to therapists working with children, the content and strategies presented may be relevant for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) practitioners as well. The theoretical background presents an overview of “emotion science,” including information related to emotion, emotional competence, and related constructs including emotion awareness, emotion understanding, empathy, and emotion regulation, which form the foundation for the intervention modules presented later in the book. The author presents clear, simple, and understandable definitions of these concepts with concrete examples, which may be useful to present in a clinical encounter. For example, “emotion awareness” is defined as “knowing about one's own (or others') emotional experience,” with an example of how a child may feel multiple feelings simultaneously. The book also includes a chapter on “Emotion-Related Assessments” and presents several questionnaires, structured interviews, and observational protocols, which may be useful in clinical and research settings. The remaining chapters in the first section of the book present an overview of functional suggestions for implementing a treatment plan and strategies to foster parent involvement, engage challenging clients, and provide sensitive, culturally competent care. For practitioners who provide therapy to patients, the major use of this text is found in the second part of the book, which delineates 8 treatment modules to foster skills in emotion regulation (i.e., Emotion Awareness Skills, Emotion Understanding Skills, Empathy Skills, and 5 skills related to Emotion Regulation: Prevention, Mastery, Expression, Basic Cognitive, and Emotion-Specific Cognitive Skills). The ordering of the modules follows typical developmental progression, whereby earlier modules may be most applicable to younger children or those with less emotional maturity. The modules are designed to be stand-alone in nature, without dependence on preceding or subsequent modules; however, this leads to redundancy if the book is read continuously. Each of the modules provides information regarding intended use and objectives, as well as activities and games aimed at teaching and practicing the desired skill; there are often associated materials, such as handouts, provided. Overall strengths of the book include its organized and clearly delineated structure. In addition, the author draws on the evidence-based literature for the discussion of fundamental tenants. The book discusses pitfalls to be mindful of, as well as limitations of use. Additional limitations include the heavy reliance on the use of electronics during activities and redundancy related to duplicate information presented in the different treatment modules. The treatment modules also require significant preparation, making implementation within a DBP clinical setting more challenging. Although it might be difficult to enact all the activities as directed in the context of a busy DBP clinic, the treatment strategies could be implemented with families with the aid of a behavioral health specialist providing directed support and scaffolding. “Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents” is clearly written for the intended audience of psychology practitioners; however, the text may be of some use to medical DBP practitioners as well. The book provides useful language regarding how to describe and support the development of emotion recognition and regulation, which may be helpful for practitioners who are addressing emotion-related deficits in elementary school–age children and older.

Validation of the grounding assessment tool for identifying emotional awareness and emotion regulation

Affective predictors of social support in individuals with schizophrenia.

Emotion regulation (ER) difficulties are ubiquitous among individuals with schizophrenia and have been hypothesized to contribute to stress sensitivity and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms in this population. However, the evidence supporting this link is equivocal, potentially due to previous studies’ reliance on retrospective assessments of ER and psychosis, as well as lack of consideration of putative moderators such as emotion awareness. To address these limitations, we employed experience sampling method using mobile electronic devices to investigate the links between momentary in vivo use of ER strategies (mER), emotion awareness, and psychotic symptoms during daily functioning. Fifty-four individuals with schizophrenia completed assessment of mER and psychotic symptoms, along with traditional retrospective measures of ER and symptoms. Use of mER suppression predicted significant increases in momentary experiences of thought insertion, mind reading, auditory and visual hallucinations. Use of mER reappraisal predicted significant increases in momentary experiences of suspiciousness, thought insertion, and mind reading. Emotion awareness, driven primarily by difficulties identifying feelings, moderated the impact of ER on psychotic symptoms. There were no associations between retrospective measures of ER and symptoms. Our results indicate that, among individuals with schizophrenia, emotion awareness significantly impacts the relationship between use of ER and exacerbations in psychotic symptoms during the course of daily functioning. Our results highlight the need to incorporate emotion awareness and regulation difficulties into the development of treatment models and interventions for psychosis. In addition, our results underscore the need to employ in vivo, high time-resolution assessment methods to study dynamic clinical phenomena such as ER and psychotic symptoms.

This theoretical review proposes a three-phase process model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG). By combining trauma-related theories, emotional regulation theories, social support theories, and empirical study findings to elucidate the mechanisms underlying PTSD and PTG, we then propose our model. The proposed model highlights the dynamic characteristics of the PTSD and PTG developmental processes as well as their coexistence and places equal emphasis on the roles of cognitive and emotional activities and social support in three distinct dynamic phases of PTSD and PTG. It emphasizes that PTSD and PTG share similar prerequisites but that these two outcomes later diverge and ultimately manifest via three distinct phases. The specific roles of cognitive regulation, emotional regulation, and social support, and the potential theoretical and practical implications of this model, are discussed. This integrative and dynamic process model has the potential to advance scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying PTSD and PTG. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The subjective-objective deficit paradox in schizotypy extends to emotion regulation and awareness

Emotion awareness and regulation in individuals with schizophrenia: Implications for social functioning