Premium
Potentially morally injurious events and depression symptoms among a trauma‐exposed sample: Examining the roles of interpersonal needs and emotion dysregulation
Author(s) -
Ray Travis N.,
Hunsanger Jillian A.,
Nagy Samantha M.,
Pickett Scott M.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.2981
Subject(s) - psychology , depression (economics) , interpersonal communication , clinical psychology , association (psychology) , belongingness , poison control , suicide prevention , psychiatry , medicine , psychotherapist , social psychology , medical emergency , economics , macroeconomics
The current study examined a conceptual model of the association between potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) and depression symptoms. It was hypothesized that interpersonal needs (i.e., perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) would independently mediate the relationship between PMIEs and depression symptoms, while emotion dysregulation would moderate the associations. Individuals who experienced a traumatic event and were residing in the United States ( N = 147) completed a cross‐sectional questionnaire containing measures of PMIEs, interpersonal needs, emotion dysregulation and depression symptoms. Results indicated that the indirect effect through perceived burdensomeness was significant at high levels of emotion dysregulation, whereas the indirect effect through thwarted belongingness was non‐significant. Additionally, emotion dysregulation moderated each pathway, with the exception of the direct effects from PMIEs to depression symptoms. The proposed model may be informative for researchers and clinicians interested in the association between PMIEs and depression symptoms. The results may encourage the use of emotion regulation strategies to assist patients suffering from depression symptoms, especially when exposure to a PMIE has occurred.