Anxiety moderates the effects of stressor controllability and cognitive reappraisal on distress following aversive exposure: An experimental investigation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Emerging evidence suggests that the effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal (CR) depends on different factors, including the individual's psychological wellbeing (e.g., level of anxiety) and the context in which the strategy is used (e.g., stressor controllability). The present study aimed to investigate the emotional (negative affect) and physiological (skin conductance levels) effects of emotion regulation following exposure to controllable versus uncontrollable stress. METHODS: Ninety-five undergraduate students completed measures assessing anxiety, and were randomly assigned to a condition in which they had (a) control or (b) no control over the viewing duration of distressing film clips, and were then instructed to either (a) cognitively reappraise or (b) ruminate about the clips. RESULTS: There were no significant interactions between controllability, emotion regulation, and pre-post changes in responses. However, individual differences in anxiety moderated the effects of controllability and emotion regulation on distress responses. For participants low in anxiety, CR was related to smaller increases in distress following uncontrollable than controllable stress. This pattern was not observed for those high in anxiety following stress exposure. LIMITATIONS: This study used a non-clinical sample, limiting the generalizability of the findings. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the utility of CR may depend upon contextual factors such as stressor controllability, and individual differences in psychological symptoms.

The effects of perceived torture controllability on symptom severity of posttraumatic stress, depression and anger in refugees and asylum seekers: A path analysis.

Torture is associated with greater psychopathology, however, the specific mechanisms underlying the effects of torture remain unclear. Research suggests that the perceived uncontrollable nature of, rather than the exposure to, torture, influences the development of psychological disorders. Perceived distress during torture has also been shown to influence psychological outcomes. This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between perceived torture controllability, emotions (i.e., anger and fear) during torture, and current posttraumatic stress (PTS), depression and anger symptoms, controlling for the effects of post-migration living difficulties. Data were collected from 108 refugees and asylum seekers in treatment at two psychiatric clinics in Zurich, Switzerland. Path analyses revealed negative correlations between PTS, depression and anger symptoms, and perceived torture controllability, and positive correlations with anger and fear during torture. Furthermore, the effects of perceived torture controllability on PTS and depression symptoms were mediated by fear during torture, and on anger symptoms via anger during torture. This was over and above the effects of post-migration living difficulties on psychological symptoms. The study provides preliminary evidence that perceived uncontrollability and distress during torture might be significant risk factors for current mental health of torture survivors. These findings may have implications for informing interventions for torture survivors.