Cultural group and self-construal moderate the association between expressive suppression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Abstract

Few studies have considered the influence of cultural factors on the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and key emotion regulation strategies, such as expressive suppression and reappraisal. This study investigated the influences of cultural background and self-construal orientation on PTSD symptoms and both suppression and reappraisal. Chinese Australian (n = 129) and European Australian (n = 140) trauma survivors completed an online survey assessing suppression and reappraisal (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), cultural values (Self Construal Scale), and PTSD symptoms (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5). We hypothesized that participants in the Chinese Australian group would report higher levels of suppression and reappraisal than those in the European Australian group and that self-construal and cultural group would moderate both the associations between PTSD symptoms and both suppression reappraisal. Correlation and moderation analyses were performed to examine these hypotheses. Chinese Australian participants reported higher levels of reappraisal than European Australian participants, η_p ² = .05, p < .001. Regardless of cultural group, there was no significant association between reappraisal and PTSD symptoms, B = 0.10, p = .849, 95% CI [-0.93,1.13]. Cultural group and self-construal moderated the association between suppression and PTSD symptoms, ΔR² = .02, p = .007, whereas a positive association was observed between suppression and PTSD symptoms; however, this association was not significant for Chinese Australians who endorsed higher levels of interdependence. These findings suggest that suppression may be less strongly associated with PTSD symptoms for Chinese Australians who value interdependence. This finding highlights the importance of considering cultural values in PTSD treatment approaches.