Intersecting Challenges Emotion Regulation and Social Problem-Solving in Women with PTSD and Addiction

Abstract

This study investigates the intersecting challenges of emotion regulation and social problem-solving in women diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring addiction. Prior research indicates that emotion regulation deficits are central to the development and maintenance of PTSD and substance use disorders (SUD), and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies are linked with increased severity of PTSD and drug use severity in women after trauma. Additionally, women with comorbid PTSD and addiction show distinct patterns of negative and positive emotion regulation and social problem-solving deficits compared to women without addiction. Using a cross-sectional study design of 250 adult women with PTSD and addiction symptoms, we measured emotion regulation (via the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) and social problem-solving skills (via the Social Problem-Solving Inventory) and examined their associations with PTSD severity. Results demonstrated significant negative correlations between severity of PTSD, emotion dysregulation scores, and impaired problem solving, with women exhibiting higher emotion dysregulation also showing poorer social problem-solving capacities (r = 0.58, p < .001). These findings highlight the compounded psychosocial difficulties in this population and emphasize the need for integrated interventions targeting both emotion regulation and problem-solving skills.