Emotion regulation as a mediator of future alcohol severity in young binge drinkers

Background: Emotion dysregulation influences the course of alcohol dependence. However, few studies have investigated the effect of emotion regulation on future alcohol use severity in young binge drinkers.

Methods: The sample was comprised of 192 (102 females) healthy young individuals (19.93 [0.30] years). Participants were assessed twice over a 2 years follow-up. Alcohol use severity was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Emotion regulation was assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Mediation models were built using PROCESS macro for SPSS. The models tested the mediation effect of specific DERS dimensions and considered psychopathology as a moderator.

Results: The results indicate that while number of binge drinking episodes is the strongest predictor for later alcohol use severity, there was a significant indirect effect mediated by emotion regulation. In particular, this association was explained by the goals dimension (difficulty engaging in goal-directed behavior). Emotional regulation showed an interaction with psychopathological symptoms. After stratifying the sample in low- and high-psychopathological symptoms, emotional regulation skills showed a mediation effect only in those with higher psychopathological symptoms.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that even among young binge drinkers with no previous diagnoses of mental disorders emotion regulation skills are of importance for preventive strategies directed at reducing harmful alcohol use, especially among those with higher psychopathological distress.