Emotion Regulation In Individuals Research Articles

Supplemental Material for Self-Compassion Versus Detached Reappraisal for Emotion Regulation in Individuals Exposed to Interpersonal Trauma

Supplemental Material for Self-Compassion Versus Detached Reappraisal for Emotion Regulation in Individuals Exposed to Interpersonal Trauma

The effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on perceived stress, rumination, and distress tolerance in women with Bulimia Nervosa

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in mitigating perceived stress, rumination, and distress tolerance among women diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) in Ahvaz, Iran. A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group was employed. The target population consisted of all female BN patients referred to the Ahvaz Binge Eaters Association between February and May 2022. Patients were definitively diagnosed with BN by a clinical specialist using a structured clinical interview adhering to DSM-5 criteria. From an initial pool of 91 patients, 50 were randomly selected for participation and subsequently assigned to either the experimental or control group, with each group comprising 25 individuals. Pre-test analysis revealed no significant group differences in perceived stress, rumination, or distress tolerance among women with BN. However, post-test scores indicated a significant decrease in both perceived stress and rumination within the experimental group compared to the control group (p < .01). Furthermore, the post-test analysis demonstrated that ACT intervention significantly improved distress tolerance in women with BN (p < .01). These findings suggest that ACT may be a promising therapeutic approach for alleviating psychological distress and enhancing emotional regulation in individuals grappling with BN.

Emotional regulation and Arnold's self-ideal: a way to flourishment.

The convergence of researchers in the fields of flourishing, moral psychology, and social-emotional studies has reached a stage where developing a theory that connects emotional regulation and flourishing is meaningful. This theoretical investigation aims to uncover insights from the research of Magda B. Arnold, renowned for her theory of emotions, and lesser-known for her notion of the self-ideal, regarding the relationship between emotional regulation and flourishing. Our initial hypothesis posits that Arnold's concept of self-ideal provides a framework for understanding how to foster emotional regulation in individuals by directing it toward constructive life objectives. To achieve this, we explore the current state of emotional regulation and flourishing and the relationship between these concepts; we consider the interconnectedness of emotion and self-ideal within Arnold's theory and analyze its potential to serve as a foundation for building a theory relating flourishing and emotional regulation. We find in Arnold's theory substantial ideas about the relationship between emotional regulation, flourishing, and self-ideal, as well as emerging empirical research relating to these themes. We conclude that Arnold's research can serve as a catalyst for developing psychological intervention models that enhance emotional regulation and promote a flourishing life.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOSITY AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION IN HIGH SCHOOL (SMA) STUDENTS IN BANDA ACEH

Emotional regulation is a way to assess, deal with, manage and express emotions in certain situations. The factor that influences emotional regulation in individuals is religiosity. A person who has religiosity involves religion in behaving and taking action, so that it has an effect on controlling his emotions. This research aims to describe religiosity and emotional regulation, as well as to see the relationship between religiosity and emotional regulation in high school students. Research respondents involved 364 students selected from five high schools in Banda Aceh City. Samples were collected using random sampling techniques with the Slovin formula, data collection used a Likert scale of religiosity and emotional regulation. The research results show that the correlation coefficient (r) between the variables studied is 0.721, which indicates a strong correlation between religiosity and emotional regulation. This finding can be interpreted as the higher the religiosity, the higher the student's emotional regulation and vice versa.

Emotional non‐acceptance mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and specific psychopathology in women with eating disorders

IntroductionInsecure attachment is considered a general risk factor for eating disorders (ED). Emotion dysregulation has been proposed as one of the possible mechanisms by which attachment insecurity may affect ED psychopathology.ObjectivesAim of the present study was to investigate whether difficulties in acceptance of emotions or emotional clarity may mediate the connection between insecure attachment and ED psychopathology.MethodsOne hundred and twenty patients participated and completed the Italian version of Eating Disorder Inventory‐2 (EDI-2), Experience in Close Relationship questionnaire (ECR) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). A mediator path model was performed, in which insecure attachment dimensions were set as independent variables, ED specific psychopathology measures as dependent variables, and non‐acceptance of emotion and lack of emotional clarity as mediators.ResultsThe association between both attachment avoidance and anxiety and ED specific symptoms was mediated by emotional non‐acceptance, but not by emotional clarity.ConclusionsThis study showed the importance to address emotion regulation in individuals with ED, focussing on improving emotional acceptance. Exploring early developmental processes which lead to non‐acceptance of emotions could improve this psychological trait in people with ED.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Practice matters: The role of mindfulness skills in emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder

Mindfulness skills training constitute a core element of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) that has been proposed as a key component to improve emotion dysregulation (ED) in borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, the relationship between the time spent practicing mindfulness skills at home and changes in ED is not well-understood. This study aimed to determine whether daily mindfulness practice meaningfully improves ED, and, if so, the minimum dose needed to do so. A total of 75 BPD outpatients participated in a 10-week DBT mindfulness skill training program. We systematically tracked the participants' mindfulness practice and their ED levels throughout the sessions. A total of 499 observations were recorded. We used multilevel modeling with a time-lagged approach to investigate the association between weekly practice and ED over time. Greater mindfulness practice predicted improvements in ED in the following week. A bidirectional relationship was also found; a higher level of ED impaired subsequent mindfulness practice. When accounting for the previous week's ED level, participants who practiced ≥3 days and >30 min per week experienced a statistically significant decrease in ED compared to those who did not engage in regular practice. These results highlight the key role of mindfulness practice as a behavioral component to improve emotion regulation in individuals with BPD. These findings suggest that therapists should inform patients about the minimum dose of mindfulness practice needed to improve emotion regulation in order to adjust expectations and improve treatment outcomes.

Towards an Affective Intelligent Agent Model for Extrinsic Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation is the human ability to modulate one’s or other emotions to maintain emotional well-being. Despite its importance, only a few computational models have been proposed for facilitating emotion regulation. None of them prepare a plan of all the actions necessary for emotion regulation customized to the needs of a specific individual. To address this gap, we propose a computational model for an intelligent agent which, grounded in a multidimensional emotion representation, facilitates emotion regulation in individuals. This computational model is based on J. Gross’s theoretical framework of emotion regulation. An intelligent agent selects the most appropriate regulation strategy to maintain an individual’s emotional equilibrium considering the individual’s personality traits. A dynamic planner prepares a plan of emotion regulation actions which is dynamically adapted according to the emotional changes observed in the individual after applying the previous emotion regulation actions. This refinement of the initial regulatory action plan allows the proposed emotion regulation agent to adapt the plan to the specific characteristics of the individual, facilitating the individual to improve their emotion regulation capabilities and improve their emotional health.

Healing Spaces as a Design Approach to Optimize Emotional Regulation for Patients with Mood Disorders

Healing spaces have played an important role in human history as arenas for healing and restoration of physical health. Current research from across disciplines identifies that engagement with space for people with mental illness can reduce emotional stress and thus improve health. This research leads to the central question of this paper: How do people with mood disorders achieve emotional regulation through healing spaces? In response to this question, this paper investigates the effects of sensory experience and architectural space on emotion regulation, with a particular focus on healing spaces. It proposes a model to analyze and explain how the design and use of healing spaces can create emotional experiences that stimulate patients’ senses and facilitate emotional regulation in individuals with mood disorders. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding how elements of healing spaces affect patients’ senses and contribute to the quality of emotion regulation. The paper argues that healing structures can effectively enhance the emotional experience of a space by creating a positive spatial atmosphere, thereby aiding in the healing process for patients with mood disorders. This paper’s analysis of the existing literature identifies key mechanisms by which healing spaces promote emotion regulation-healing structures-and breaks them down into three main structures: (a) Safety Guarantees Physical and Mental Development; (b) Functionality Supports the Treatment Process; (c) Ambiance Promotes Emotional Comfort, this study examines existing evidence to determine how healing structures promote emotionally regulated treatment. The study also explores representative examples of healing spaces and how they utilize spatial elements to stimulate the patient’s senses. This research results show that healing structures directly influence or facilitate eight primary spatial elements (color and form, light, sound, air and temperature, nature, materials, play and games, and activity and communication) which incorporate one or more dimensions of healing. Therefore, this paper aims to enhance our understanding and awareness of the correlation between interior space, human senses, and healing structures.

The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Psychological Distress and Emotional Regulation in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder

Background and Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on psychological distress and emotional regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder in Tehran in 2023. Methods and Materials: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all individuals with borderline personality disorder who referred to counseling centers in Tehran. From this population, 30 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental group (15 individuals) and the control group (15 individuals). The experimental group received schema therapy training in 12 sessions of 60 minutes each, while the control group remained on a waiting list. The instruments used in the present study included the Borderline Personality Questionnaire (Claridge &amp; Broks, 1984), Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler, 2002), and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski &amp; Kraaij, 2006). Data analysis was conducted in two sections: descriptive and inferential (covariance analysis). Findings: The results showed that schema therapy training impacted the psychological distress components (anxiety, depression, and stress) in individuals with borderline personality disorder. Furthermore, the results indicated that schema therapy reduced negative emotion regulation and increased positive emotion regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, schema therapy can be suggested as an effective method to improve psychological distress and emotional regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training (DBT-ST) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Individuals with Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder

Objective: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder in psychiatric settings and one of the disorders that causes the most harm to individuals. The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training (DBT-ST) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on cognitive emotion regulation in individuals with symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. Methods and Materials: This research was a semi-experimental study, utilizing a pre-test, post-test design with a control group and a follow-up period. The statistical population included all clients aged 18 to 45 who referred to counseling centers in the city of Sari during the first half of 2022 and had files. From all these individuals, those willing to cooperate were selected through purposive non-random sampling, resulting in a sample of 45 participants. These individuals were then randomly assigned to three groups (Group 1: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training, n = 15; Group 2: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, n = 15; and Group 3: Control group, n = 15). Data collection was conducted using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Garnefski et al. (2001). The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training group (2003) participated in 12 weekly 90-minute group sessions, and the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy group (2002) participated in 8 weekly 90-minute group sessions. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings: The results indicated that Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy were effective on cognitive emotion regulation in individuals with symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (P = 0.001). There was a significant difference in the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on cognitive emotion regulation between the experimental groups and the control group. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, through individuals' cognitive coping strategies, can lead to improvements in psychological indicators and enhancement of mental health in individuals with symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Disrupted emotion regulation and spontaneous neural activity in panic disorder: a resting-state fMRI study.

Emotional dysregulation, particularly unconscious catastrophic cognitions, plays a pivotal role in the genesis of panic disorder (PD). However, no studies have yet applied the percentage of amplitude fluctuation (PerAF) metric in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine spontaneous neural functioning and its relation to catastrophic cognitions in PD. To explore the interplay between resting-state neural activity, functional connectivity (FC), and unconscious emotion regulation in individuals with PD. Cross-sectional study. The study encompassed 51 participants, including 26 PD patients and 25 healthy individuals. The PerAF algorithm was employed to explore the local spontaneous neural activity in PD. Regions exhibiting aberrant spontaneous neural activity were used as seed points for whole-brain FC analysis. Correlations were utilized to examine associations between local neural activity patterns and neurocognitive assessments in PD. The study revealed that compared to healthy individuals, PD patients exhibited elevated PerAF values in key emotion-regulation-related brain regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), striatum, amygdala, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), and cerebellum. In addition, the resting-state FC between vmPFC and precuneus, as well as between the cerebellum and precuneus, was weakened in PD patients. Furthermore, positive associations were noted between PerAF measurements of vmPFC and amygdala and catastrophizing scores. PD involves regional and network-level alterations in resting-state brain activity. The fronto-striatal-limbic circuits play a critical role in catastrophic-style emotion regulation in PD patients. Reduced FC within the default mode network and cerebellum-default mode network may signify a coordination anomaly in introspection and cognitive activities in PD. These findings complement the model of implicit emotion regulation in PD and suggest potential intervention targets.

EMOTION REGULATION IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: EFFECTS ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION- A SCOPING REVIEW

Comorbid conditions, such as anxiety and depression, pose diagnostic challenges due to their complex interaction with core autism spectrum disorder features. Emotion regulation is a key concept in the transdiagnostic framework which suggests shared cognitive and behavioral processes among mental disorders. The review aims to examine the emotion regulation effects on anxiety and depression in autism spectrum disorder. A systematic search was conducted from December 2022. to May 2023., using SCOPUS and Google Scholar, with predefined eligibility criteria. Analysis of the twelve included publications unveiled emotion regulation challenges in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Importantly, these maladaptive strategies were found to be significantly linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression. These findings emphasize the need for interventions that specifically target and improve emotion regulation in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. By enhancing their emotional regulation skills, it may be possible to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression in this population.

Effectiveness of Contextual Schema Therapy for Extreme Perfectionism and Emotion Regulation in Individuals with Perfectionism Disorder

Background: Individuals are consistently influenced by ineffective core beliefs known as maladaptive schemas that develop during childhood and can pave the way for the appearance of problems such as extreme perfectionism. Therefore, therapeutic approaches are needed that can be effective for these schemas. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of contextual schema therapy (CST) on perfectionism and emotion regulation in individuals with perfectionism disorder. Methods: In this study, 12 individuals diagnosed with perfectionism disorder visiting the psychological service centers in Tehran in 2022 were purposively selected for this quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, mid-test, and post-test design. The participants underwent CST in 40 one-hour sessions and completed the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire in all three stages of the assessment. The data were analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS-26. Results: The mean and standard deviation (SD) of perfectionism in the pre-test, mid-test, and post-test phases were 151.08 ± 18.97, 94.25 ± 12.48, and 67.58 ± 5.41, respectively. Moreover, the mean ± SD of emotion regulation in the pre-test, mid-test, and post-test phases were 40.25 ± 8.95, 45.50 ± 8.12, and 50.08 ± 7.94, respectively. The results demonstrated that the CST was effective for perfectionism across all assessment stages (P &lt; 0.001); however, this influence was not significant for emotion regulation during the mid-test stage. Conclusions: Contextual schema therapy led to a reduction in extreme perfectionism and an improvement in emotion regulation in individuals with perfectionism. It is suggested that CST be applied in psychological service centers to reduce perfectionism and emotion regulation strategies in clients.

Believing in Change Matters! The Role of Emotion Malleability Beliefs in Emotion Regulation and Paranoid Ideation

PurposeBeliefs that emotions can be changed (i.e., malleability beliefs) are relevant to emotion regulation. Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in severe mental health symptoms, such as paranoid delusions, but it remains unknown to which extent malleability beliefs contribute to a dysfunctional pattern of emotion regulation in individuals experiencing paranoid ideation. Therefore, we investigated whether malleability beliefs are associated with paranoid ideation and whether emotion regulation accounts for this association.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional assessment in a sample of individuals with psychotic disorders (n = 50) and a community sample (n = 218) and collected self-report data on malleability beliefs, the use of emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, acceptance, rumination, expressive suppression, experience suppression), and paranoid ideation.ResultsMultivariate regressions showed that greater beliefs that emotions are malleable predicted more reappraisal and acceptance in both samples and less rumination in the community sample. Malleability beliefs did not predict the strategies of suppressing an emotion or its expression. In the community sample, but not in the clinical sample, greater beliefs that emotions are malleable were associated with less frequent paranoid ideation and emotion regulation accounted for significant variance in the relationship.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that malleability beliefs do not contribute to paranoid delusions in individuals with psychotic disorders. However, in individuals with subclinical paranoid ideation, a failure to perceive emotions as malleable could hinder adaptive attempts to regulate emotions leading to increased negative affect and thereby pave the way for paranoid ideation. Malleability beliefs may thus represent a promising target for prevention.

Improved depressive symptoms, and emotional regulation and reactivity, in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea after short- and long-term CPAP therapy use

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is associated with high rates of depression; however, if and how treatment of OSA improves depressive symptoms is unclear. To further understand this link we considered the role of emotional regulation – the ability to control and express our emotional responses – thought to be a central component of depression. This study aimed to assess changes in depressive symptoms and emotional responses in individuals with OSA after 4- and 12-months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. One-hundred and twenty-one OSA participants (50 female, Mage = 51.93; mean AHI = 36.27) were recruited from a tertiary clinical sleep service prior to CPAP initiation, and randomised to either a CPAP group or a 4 month wait-list group. Participants completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Emotional Reactivity Scale and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale at baseline, and 1-, 2-, and 4-months follow-up. The CPAP group also completed the questionnaires 12-months after CPAP initiation. CPAP use at 1 month and 12 months was 5.1h/night and 4.9h/night, respectively. Significant improvements in depressive symptoms, emotional regulation and reactivity, and subjective sleepiness were observed after 4 months in both groups, however, the within group changes were only significant for those using CPAP. After 12-months of CPAP treatment, these improvements were maintained. There was no association between CPAP treatment adherence and improvements in any outcome. CPAP treatment for 12 months may reduce symptoms of depression and improve emotional regulation in individuals with OSA.

Psychometric Properties of Interpersonal Regulation Questionnaire for Chinese College Students: Gender Differences and Implications for Well-Being.

Intrapersonal emotion dysregulation has been found to be a transdiagnostic predictor in the development of almost all affective disorders. Interpersonal resources are also involved in achieving people's emotion regulation goals. The Interpersonal Regulation Questionnaire (IRQ) has been developed to assess the tendency and efficacy of people using external resources to help manage their emotions. Under the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of interpersonal emotion regulation in individuals' adjustment and well-being remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the optimal factor structure of the IRQ in Chinese culture using an exploratory structural equation modeling approach and to examine the associations between interpersonal emotion regulation, tested by the IRQ, and young people's intrapersonal emotion dysregulation and social and emotional well-being. The sample consisted of 556 college students aged from 17 to 31 from Mainland China. Factor analyses suggested that the four-factor structure was the optimal model for the current data. Females reported a higher tendency to use external resources to regulate their negative emotions and higher efficacy in regulating negative emotions. The Chinese version of the IRQ (C-IRQ) presented adequate psychometric properties and would be a useful tool for measuring interpersonal emotion regulation behaviors.

Anxiety, concerns and emotion regulation in individuals with Williams syndrome and Down syndrome during the COVID-19 outbreak: a global study

Individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) have been reported to experience increased levels of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our study, we document how individuals with Down Syndrome (DS; N = 557; Mage = 16.52; 233 female) and Williams syndrome (WS, N = 247; Mage = 18.43; 113 female) experienced the first wave (April 2020–May 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world. Using multilevel linear mixed regressions, we studied (a) parental reported anxiety of individuals with DS and WS, (b) these individuals’ specific concerns, and (c) their use and efficacy of emotion regulation (ER) strategies during the first wave of COVID-19. Predictors of anxiety, such as the age of the individual with NDC, type of condition, and time, were investigated. Individuals with WS experienced higher levels of anxiety compared to those with DS and the older the individuals with NDC were the more anxiety they experienced. In terms of concerns, group effects indicated that individuals with WS scored higher for most of the concerns. There were no gender differences in concerns, yet most of the concerns increased with age except for concerns about loss of routine, boredom, loss of institutional support and family conflict. Finally, significant group effects were found and indicated a more frequent use of a variety of adaptive and maladaptive ER strategies in individuals with WS. We did not identify group differences in the efficacy of ER strategies. Our results indicate that individuals with WS are likely to exhibit higher levels of anxiety, but also higher levels of concerns depending on their age. Similarly, individuals with WS use a variety of ER strategies more frequently but these strategies are not necessarily more efficient for them. We discuss the impact of these findings in relation to anxiety identification and support across individuals with NDCs.

Distress tolerance and emotional regulation in individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Previous research suggests that low distress tolerance may be associated with poor emotion regulation, contribute to drinking to cope motives, and predict alcohol-related problems in non-clinical populations. However, little is known about the ability to tolerate distress among individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and its association with emotional dysregulation. The aim of this study was to examine the link between emotional dysregulation and a behavioral measure of distress tolerance among individuals with AUD. The sample consisted of 227 individuals with AUD enrolled in an 8-week abstinence-based inpatient treatment program. Behavioral distress tolerance was assessed using a test of ischemic pain tolerance and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) was used to assess emotion dysregulation. Distress tolerance was significantly associated with emotional dysregulation even when accounting for alexithymia, depressive symptomatology, age, and biological sex. The current study provides preliminary support for an association between low distress tolerance and emotion dysregulation in a clinical group of patients with AUD.

Emotional non-acceptance mediates the relationship between insecure attachment and specific psychopathology in women with eating disorders.

Insecure attachment is considered a general risk factor for eating disorders (ED). Emotion dysregulation has been proposed as one of the possible mechanisms by which attachment insecurity may affect ED psychopathology. Aim of the present study was to investigate whether difficulties in acceptance of emotions or emotional clarity may mediate the connection between insecure attachment and ED psychopathology. One hundred and twenty patients participated and completed the Italian version of Eating Disorder Inventory-2, Experience in Close Relationship questionnaire and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. A mediator path model was performed, in which insecure attachment dimensions were set as independent variables, ED specific psychopathology measures as dependent variables, and non-acceptance of emotion and lack of emotional clarity as mediators. The association between both attachment avoidance and anxiety and ED specific symptoms was mediated by emotional non-acceptance, but not by emotional clarity. This study showed the importance to address emotion regulation in individuals with ED, focussing on improving emotional acceptance. Exploring early developmental processes which lead to non-acceptance of emotions could improve this psychological trait in people with ED.

Differing associations of depersonalization with physiological response during rest and breath-focused mindfulness in a trauma-exposed female population

BackgroundDissociative and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are commonly co-occurring responses to psychological trauma. Yet, these two groups of symptoms appear to be related to diverging patterns of physiological response. To date, few studies have examined how specific dissociative symptoms, namely, depersonalization and derealization, relate to skin conductance response (SCR), a marker of autonomic function, within the context of PTSD symptoms. We examined associations among depersonalization, derealization, and SCR during two conditions – resting control and breath-focused mindfulness – in the context of current PTSD symptoms. MethodsSixty-eight trauma-exposed women (82.4% Black; Mage = 42.5, SDage = 12.1) were recruited from the community for a breath-focused mindfulness study. SCR data were collected during alternating resting control and breath-focused mindfulness conditions. Moderation analyses were conducted to examine relations among dissociative symptoms, SCR, and PTSD for these different conditions. ResultsModeration analyses revealed that depersonalization was linked to lower SCR during resting control, B = 0.0005, SE = 0.0002, p = .006, in participants low-to-moderate PTSD symptoms; however, depersonalization was associated with higher SCR during breath-focused mindfulness, B = −0.0006, SE = 0.0003, p = .029, in individuals with similar levels of PTSD symptoms. No significant interaction between derealization and PTSD symptoms on SCR was observed. ConclusionsDepersonalization symptoms may associate with physiological withdrawal during rest, but greater physiological arousal during effortful emotion regulation in individuals with low-to moderate levels of PTSD, which has significant implications for barriers to treatment engagement as well as treatment selection in this population.