Cognitive Emotion Regulation as a Mediator between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Hypomanic Personality within a Non-Clinical Population.

BACKGROUND

There is a high prevalence of traumatic life events within individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder. However, currently there is limited theoretical understanding of this relationship.

AIMS: To explore whether non-clinical symptoms of posttraumatic stress have a direct effect on the non-clinical symptoms of bipolar disorder, or whether this relationship is mediated by cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

METHOD: A cross-sectional design within non-clinical participants completing an online survey including the Impact of Events Scale, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Hypomanic Personality Scale.

RESULTS

Posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with hypomanic personality. Intrusive memories contributed a small but significant proportion of the variance between these two measures. Rumination of negative emotions mediated the relationship between posttraumatic stress and hypomanic personality.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between traumatic events and an increased prevalence of bipolar disorder remains poorly understood. Further research should explore rumination as a potential target for treatment within those suffering from both posttraumatic stress and bipolar disorder.