Effects of Restrictive Emotionality on Mental Health in Male Veterans With Military Sexual Trauma

Restrictive emotionality moderated mental health outcomes in male veterans with military sexual trauma (MST), according to research published in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy.

The study included 134 adult male veterans undergoing behavioral health treatment at a Veterans Affairs medical center in the United States. Researchers investigated the impact of restrictive emotionality, or difficulty expressing emotions, on mental health outcomes after MST while controlling for combat exposure and age.

The self-reported patient data indicated that MST was “a significant predictor” of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and insomnia severity. Researchers also noted that restrictive emotionality “moderated the relationship between MST and PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and insomnia.”

MST was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms or symptoms of anxiety.

“These findings suggest that restricting emotions has a negative influence on men’s mental health functioning,” study authors concluded. “Therefore, assessing male veterans’ experiences of expressing their emotions within the context of masculinity and their military training will likely have implications on trauma processing and treatment outcomes.”

Reference:
Rivera LA, Liang CTH, Johnson NL, Chakravorty S. Military sexual trauma: Exploring the moderating role of restrictive emotionality among male veterans [published online ahead of print 2021]. Psychol Trauma. doi:10.1037/tra0000647