title: Emotion dysregulation mediates the relationship between trauma exposure, post-migration living difficulties and psychological outcomes in traumatized refugees.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While emotion dysregulation represents an important mechanism underpinning psychological responses to trauma, little research has investigated this in refugees. In the current study, we examined the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the relationship between refugee experiences (trauma and living difficulties) and psychological outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 134 traumatized treatment-seeking refugees who completed measures indexing trauma exposure, post-migration living difficulties, difficulties in emotion regulation, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and explosive anger.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings revealed distinctive patterns of emotion dysregulation associated with each of these psychological disorders. Results also indicated that emotion regulation difficulties mediated the association between both trauma and psychological symptoms, and living difficulties and psychological symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Limitations include a cross-sectional design and the use of measures that had not been validated across all cultural groups in this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings underscore the key role of emotion dysregulation in psychological responses of refugees, and highlight potential directions for treatment interventions for traumatized refugees.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. Electronic address: anickerson@psy.unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nickerson
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich 8091, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schnyder
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich 8091, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schick
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Services Thurgau, Münsterlingen 8596, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich 8091, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Naser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morina
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Depression; Emotion regulation; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Refugees; Torture; Trauma