Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0000-0001-7972-712X

Advisor

McKinney, Cliff

Committee Member

DeShong, Hilary

Committee Member

Porter, Bennett

Committee Member

Seifen, Tanja

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Dissertation - Open Access

Major

Applied Psychology (Clinical Psychology)

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

Empirical research suggests that trauma-related appraisals have significant mental health implications. A prior meta-analysis reported that maladaptive trauma-related cognitions play a central role in the development and maintenance of poor coping strategies (i.e., substance use) and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, less is known about the relationships among maladaptive trauma cognitions, emotion dysregulation, and risk for substance use. The current study sought to provide a comprehensive examination of the relationships among trauma appraisals, emotion dysregulation, psychological problems, and substance use. A systematic review highlighted the lack of a person-centered approach to trauma appraisal research, as well as a lack of research examining all variables simultaneously. Hence, the current study explored different profiles of trauma appraisals using latent profile analysis among 770 college emerging adults who reported a trauma history and found that a five-profile solution was best supported. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that negative trauma appraisal profiles significantly predicted psychological problems and drug use, even after accounting for childhood trauma and sex assigned at birth. Additionally, the current study found that emotion dysregulation moderated the association between the High Self-blame and Alienation profile and psychological problems, suggesting that the profile had a positive relation with psychological problems only when emotion dysregulation was low. These findings underscore the value of integrating both trauma-related cognitive patterns and emotion regulation capacity into trauma-informed care models.

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