Specific emotion-regulation processes explain the relationship between mindfulness and self-compassion with...

Previous research has established coping-motivated use to be the most problematic form of substance use. While dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion have been associated with lower levels of coping-motivated use in undergraduate students, possible mechanisms underlying these relationships have never been tested. The present two-part study examines whether specific emotion-regulation processes underlie the negative relationship between mindfulness and self-compassion with drinking to cope with depression and anxiety (Study One) and coping-motivated marijuana use (Study Two). The study also tests an alternative model examining whether difficulties in emotion-regulation is associated with lower levels of specific mindfulness skills, and in turn higher levels of coping-motivated use. Undergraduate students completed self-report measures assessing their levels of dispositional mindfulness, self-compassion, difficulties in emotion-regulation, and coping-motivated alcohol and marijuana use. In Study One (N = 187), mediation analyses revealed that mindfulness and self-compassion were associated with higher levels of access to emotion-regulation strategies, which in turn was associated with lower levels of drinking to cope with depression, but not anxiety. In Study Two (N = 170), mediation analyses revealed that mindfulness and self-compassion were associated with higher levels of acceptance of emotional responses, which in turn was associated with lower levels of coping-motivated marijuana use. In the alternative model, the mindfulness skill of acting with awareness partially explained the relationship between difficulties in emotion-regulation and drinking to cope with depression and anxiety, but not coping-motivated marijuana use. Results contribute to theoretical models and implications are discussed.