Modeling reciprocal relations between emotion dysregulation and alcohol use using dynamic structural equation...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Addiction Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Research on emotion dysregulation and alcohol use has grown but often uses cross-sectional designs.
• Previous studies had limited definitions of emotion dysregulation, hindering a full understanding of its relationship with alcohol use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the momentary, reciprocal associations between negative and positive emotion dysregulation and alcohol use.
• To address limitations of prior research by employing advanced methodology and statistical analyses.

Main Methods:

• Utilized experience sampling methodology (ESM) over 30 days with 145 women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV).
• Administered phone-based interactive voice recordings three times daily to assess emotion dysregulation and alcohol consumption (number of drinks).
• Employed dynamic structural equation modeling (dSEM) to analyze momentary-level data.

Main Results:

• Negative and positive emotion dysregulation were found to co-occur with alcohol use contemporaneously.
• Neither emotion dysregulation predicted subsequent alcohol use, nor did alcohol use predict subsequent emotion dysregulation.
• Significant interindividual variability was observed in the cross-lagged effects between emotion dysregulation and alcohol use.

Conclusions:

• Emotion dysregulation and alcohol use are linked moment-to-moment, but not in a predictive manner over time in this sample.
• Individual differences in the dynamic interplay between emotion dysregulation and alcohol use are substantial.
• Idiographic research may identify specific patterns in women experiencing IPV where emotion dysregulation influences alcohol use and vice versa.