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Investigating Strategies of Emotion Regulation As Mediators of Occupational Stressors and Mental Health Outcomes in First Responders

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  • Sowmya Kshtriya

    (Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA)

  • Jacqueline Lawrence

    (Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA)

  • Holly M. Kobezak

    (Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA)

  • Paula J. Popok

    (Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA)

  • Sarah Lowe

    (Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether two emotion regulation strategies, expressive suppression or cognitive reappraisal, mediated the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression (MD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in first responders (FR) who experienced occupational stressors, using cross-sectional data. An aggregate of 895 first responders (M = 37.32, SD = 12.09, 59.2% male, 91.3% Caucasian) who were recruited through professional organizations and social media sites across North and South American states participated in an online Qualtrics survey. Bivariate correlation analyses demonstrated that occupational stressors were positively correlated with expressive suppression and each mental health outcome but were not significantly correlated with cognitive reappraisal. Mediation analyses demonstrated expressive suppression as a significant mediator between occupational stressors and PTSD, MD, and GAD symptoms, but not cognitive reappraisal. Even though these findings are in purview of a cross-sectional research design, they suggest the importance of practices that bolster first responders’ ability to use more effective and adaptive emotion regulation strategies such as emotion expression, effective communication, and cognitive reappraisal that might help enhance psychological resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Sowmya Kshtriya & Jacqueline Lawrence & Holly M. Kobezak & Paula J. Popok & Sarah Lowe, 2022. "Investigating Strategies of Emotion Regulation As Mediators of Occupational Stressors and Mental Health Outcomes in First Responders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-13, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:12:p:7009-:d:833788
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. João Leitão & Dina Pereira & Ângela Gonçalves, 2021. "Quality of Work Life and Contribution to Productivity: Assessing the Moderator Effects of Burnout Syndrome," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Silje Haga & Pål Kraft & Emma-Kate Corby, 2009. "Emotion Regulation: Antecedents and Well-Being Outcomes of Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression in Cross-Cultural Samples," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 271-291, June.
    3. Pascal Jordan & Meike C Shedden-Mora & Bernd Löwe, 2017. "Psychometric analysis of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) in primary care using modern item response theory," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-14, August.
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