Emotional Regulation in People With Co-occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorder

Emotional Regulation in People With Co-occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Use Disorder: A Qualitative Study of Individuals Receiving Community Substance Misuse Treatment

The aim of this project is to look at emotional regulation in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD). This study will explore how people with PTSD-SUD regulate their emotions and how this might explain the relationship between these two disorders. In turn, this may inform effective treatment strategies for people with comorbid PTSD-SUD.

Emotional regulation refers to the way in which people process and respond to their emotions. PTSD and SUD commonly cooccur and this is associated with adverse outcomes including high rates of relapse, overdose, and suicide. We therefore need effective treatments to address this clinical concern. Evidence suggests emotional regulation might be important in the development and maintenance of PTSD and SUD and therefore it might be a useful target for treatment. However, most research in this area has been quantitative and has not considered how gender, social circumstances and trauma or substance type might affect the way people regulate their emotions. This study will recruit 40 adults with trauma histories and PTSD who are currently receiving treatment in a community drug and alcohol service for their substance use. Participants will be interviewed to explore how they regulate their emotions and how this relates to their social circumstances. This study will also explore whether gender, substance or trauma type affect the way people regulate their emotions. We hope this will help to improve treatment for people with PTSD and SUD.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Substance Use Disorders; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Emotional Regulation
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Qualitative Interview

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 28

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • London, United Kingdom, SE5 8AF
    • National Addiction Centre

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

A sample of approximately 40 people with posttraumatic stress disorder who are accessing substance use services in the community will be recruited and interviewed.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• • Adults aged 18+

  • Receiving treatment from a community substance use service at the time of the study.
  • Experienced, witnessed or been confronted with at least one traumatic event (according to PTSD Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5) (PDS-5) (Foa, 2016).
  • Participant endorses at least 3 PTSD symptoms from criterion B-E, measured using the PDS-5.
  • Able to communicate and understand English sufficiently to engage in a qualitative interview.

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Staff recommend the individual should not take part in the study

  • The individual is unable to provide informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Qualitative interview accounts	Semi-structured interviews will be used	November 2022 - October 2024

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: King's College London
• Collaborators: Society for the Study of Addiction

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Foa EB, McLean CP, Zang Y, Zhong J, Powers MB, Kauffman BY, Rauch S, Porter K, Knowles K. Psychometric properties of the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5 (PDS-5). Psychol Assess. 2016 Oct;28(10):1166-1171. doi: 10.1037/pas0000258. Epub 2015 Dec 21.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 7, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 9, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): July 9, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 2, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 6, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 7, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 2, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: PTSD; Emotional regulation; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Trauma; Substance Use Disorders
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Other Study ID Numbers: Bowen2022

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be made available to other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No