Validation of the difficulties with emotion regulation scale in a sample of trauma-exposed Black women.

Background: The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) is commonly used to assess dimensions of emotion dysregulation, including emotion nonacceptance, limited strategies, and difficulty with goal-directed behavior, impulse control, and emotional clarity. Despite considerable work examining the DERS' factor structure, reliability, and validity, there is limited psychometric support for its use with Black women.

Objectives: (1) Examine the factor structure of the DERS; (2) Compare fit of short-form versions; and (3) Assess whether scores differ based on diagnoses.

The differential effects of PTSD, MDD, and dissociation on CRP in trauma-exposed women.

Objective: C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, has been associated with psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some research suggests that exposure to trauma can trigger increased activity in the inflammatory system. Dissociation is associated with chronic trauma exposure and may be an important factor in understanding the risk for psychiatric outcomes associated with inflammation.

Associations of childhood trauma with food addiction and insulin resistance in African-American women with diabetes mellitus.

Food addiction (FA) describes a group of disordered eating behaviors. Childhood trauma has been associated with adult FA and trauma has known effects on the endocrine system, but it is unclear whether FA is associated with insulin resistance. We hypothesized that severity of childhood trauma will be associated with FA and higher insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in a sample of obese women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and that FA will mediate the association between childhood trauma and HOMA-IR.

Emotion Dysregulation and Inflammation in African-American Women with Type 2 Diabetes.

C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, has been associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic risk factor for many psychological disorders associated with chronic inflammatory state. The objective of this study was to determine whether inflammation is associated with emotion dysregulation in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).