The Contribution of Adverse Childhood Experiences to the Interplay Between Insecure Attachment Characteristics, Trait Emotional Intelligence, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, and Personality Organization

There are well-established connections between unfavorable attachment experiences and subsequent personality pathology. Individuals with adverse attachment experiences and those with personality pathology have been found to have difficulty with emotional awareness and emotion regulation. Attachment characteristics inform emotional intelligence and emotion regulation, while emotional intelligence and emotion regulation capacities can be protective against personality pathology and serve as a potential mechanism of positive change in one’s attachment. Complex trauma disrupts attachment and the subsequent development of emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, as well as personality structure. In this dissertation, we examine the ways in which individual attachment patterns can be linked to one’s personality organization. We also investigate how the ability to take a reflective stance when thinking about internal states in the self and others, as well as the capacity to manage one’s affective experiences, contribute to this link. In addition, we examine the contribution of potentially traumatic experiences in the aforementioned relations by investigating two alternative roles adverse childhood experiences can play in the interrelation between the constructs. The clinical implications of this research include a more nuanced case conceptualization, leading to an easier determination of the most efficacious treatment approach

Depression and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Urban, Low-Income Public University Sample

Mental health disparities in the aftermath of national disasters and the protective role of socioeconomic status are both well documented. We assessed the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among underresourced public university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Between April 8, 2020, and May 2, 2020, adult students (N = 1,821) across the CUNY system completed an online survey examining COVID-19–related stressors and mental health and sociodemographic factors. Using multivariable logistical regression to assess the association between COVID-19–related stressors and depression and anxiety symptoms, we found a high prevalence and severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. We also observed that more exposure to COVID-19–related stressors was associated with increased depressive (27.0%, 41.4%, and 63.1% for low-, medium-, and high-level stressors, respectively) and anxiety symptoms (19.3%, 34.6%, 52.2%). In addition, the degree of exposure to COVID-19–related stressors served as an important predictor of depression and anxiety symptoms. Compared to high levels of stressors, the odds of depression were 0.2, 95% CI [0.2, 0.3] for low- and 0.4, 95% CI [0.3, 0.5] for medium-level stressors; for anxiety, the odds were 0.2, 95% CI [0.2, 0.3] for low and 0.05, 95% CI [0.4, 0.6] for medium stressors. Finally, household savings of less than $5,000 increased the risk of anxiety but not depression symptoms, OR = 1.3, 95% CI [1.0,1.6]. Together, these findings tell a devastating story of psychological distress among students from lower socioeconomic groups living in the COVID-19 epicenter of the U.S. pandemic