Big ideas series: self-regulation shift theory: trauma, suicide, and violence.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic stress, suicide, and impulsive violence arguably are three of the most consequential problems facing societies today. Self-regulation shift theory is introduced to capture the underlying coping dynamics involved in these three grave challenges. OBJECTIVES: Self-regulation shift theory, based in a nonlinear dynamical systems framework, focuses on critical psychological self-regulation thresholds and the role of cognitive self-appraisals in human adaptation to help understand these three significant societal challenges. METHODS: This essay reviews existing evidence within the posttraumatic adaptation process utilizing SRST for understanding dynamic self-regulation. This is followed by integrating SRST within existing current theoretical models for suicidal behaviors and violent outbursts. CONCLUSIONS: The essay concludes with methodological suggestions for future research applying SRST and how this research offers important opportunities to develop early warning systems that promote hope when hope seems impossible.

The Impact of Adjustment on Workplace Attitudes and Behaviors Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the impact of health care workers' (HCWs) adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic on their work-related attitudes and behaviors. METHODS: HCWs ( n = 1468) participated in an observational longitudinal study in which they completed surveys of anxiety and occupational health between 2020 and 2021. RESULTS: Most HCWs reported anxiety that was consistently below the diagnostic threshold (68%) or fell below the threshold within a year (16%). Others reported consistently high (14%) or increasing (2%) anxiety, especially women, younger HCWs, those with a weakened immune system, and allied health professionals. Consistently high or increasing anxiety was associated with poorer job satisfaction, work engagement, perceived supervisor support, burnout, and turnover intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Resources to support HCWs may be focused on those who report consistently high or increasing anxiety to minimize the effects of crises and disasters on the workforce.

Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy Mediates Associations Between Adult Attachment and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms.

Attachment orientations reflect individuals' expectations for interpersonal relationships and influence emotion regulation strategies and coping. Previous research has documented that anxious and avoidant attachment orientations have deleterious effects on the trauma recovery process leaving these survivors vulnerable to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, avoidant attachment may be more complicated. Prior work has also found those high in avoidant attachment but also low in anxious attachment (i.e., dismissing) may not experience such vulnerabilities. Further, avoidant attachment individuals often report higher self-efficacy than their anxiously attached counterparts. The present study examined trauma coping self-efficacy (CSE-T) as a previously unexamined mechanism of action between adult attachment and PTSD symptoms. Structural equation modeling results showed that anxious attachment was associated with lower CSE-T and greater PTSD symptoms six weeks later. Further, a significant indirect effect of anxious attachment on PTSD symptoms through CSE-T was found. Contrary to hypotheses, avoidant attachment also exhibited an indirect effect on PTSD symptoms through CSE-T, such that avoidant attachment was associated with lower CSE-T, which in turn, was associated with greater PTSD symptoms. Also contrary to hypotheses, the interaction between anxious and avoidant attachment was not significantly associated with either CSE-T or PTSD symptoms. Results suggest that both anxious and avoidant attachment orientations contribute to poor self-regulation following trauma, as they undermine perceptions of trauma coping self-efficacy.