Background and Objective. A growing body of literature indicates a significant contribution and role of positive and negative emotions (specifically expressivity) in post-traumatic stress disorder's (PTSD) symptomatology. The current study examined the facet-level relationships between emotional expressivity and PTSD. Specifically, we investigated which emotional expressivity dimension (impulse strength, negative emotional expressivity, and positive emotional expressivity) most strongly related to DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters severity (intrusions, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity). Methods. The sample of 123 trauma-exposed participants seeking mental health treatment completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ). Results. Results of multivariate multiple regression analysis indicated that only intensity of emotion and difficulty in controlling such emotions (i.e., impulse strength) was strongly related to all four PTSD symptom clusters. The valence of emotional expressivity (positive or negative) was not related to any of the PTSD symptom clusters. Conclusions. Study findings highlight the role of emotional expressivity, specifically impulse strength, in PTSD's symptomatology and may inform guidelines for emotion-focused clinical work for trauma-exposed individuals with PTSD symptoms.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multi-disciplinary intervention designed to stabilise, slow, or reverse CVD, restore health following a cardiac event and facilitate the prevention of further events. The Model of Therapeutic Engagement (MTE) is a comprehensive conceptual model for explaining the process of engagement in rehabilitation. Of concern is that the role of socio-environmental factors is absent from explaining individual engagement in the MTE. There is also a lack of prospective studies investigating the impact of socio-environmental barriers on engagement in CR programs over time. This study aimed to expand the MTE, by illuminating the role of socio-environmental barriers in a three-stage process of engagement in CR programs. A prospective study was conducted, with 217 individuals recruited from the Cardiology Ward in the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) and the Robina Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre. The collected data were examined using a structural equation model that added socio-environmental factors into the MTE, using multi-group analyses. In this study, we found that socio-environmental factors were not associated with intention to engage in the CR program, but were related to actual attendance and maintenance of participation in CR programs. Knowing how these socio-environmental barriers affect the process of engagement at different stages may help to tailor more accessible CR programs for the population.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relative contributions of university education, exposure specific training, and beliefs about exposure therapy (ET) in relation to the frequency, duration, and intense delivery of ET by Australian psychologists. Associations between clinicians’ use of and theoretical conceptualisation of ET, and attachment style were also evaluated. A total of 115 Australian psychologists (N = 94 females) completed an online survey. Findings revealed that a majority of participants used cognitive behaviour therapy (93%) and ET (88%) to treat anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. The majority who used ET (90%) reported using therapist-assisted in vivo exposure with clients. Findings also showed that therapists spend 42% of session time on exposure. Moreover, therapists who reported more comprehensive training had more positive beliefs about ET. Positive beliefs about ET, and clearer conceptualisation of treatment, were related to greater use and more intense implementation of ET. Psychologists with a more preoccupied or dismissive attachment style were less likely to deliver intense ET. The findings suggest that ET-specific training may be a powerful medium to improving the adoption and application of ET. Clinician's theoretical conceptualisation of ET and interpersonal attachment style are also worthy targets for future research and training in ET.