Clusters of Emotion Regulation Strategies and Their Association with Concurrent and Long-term Alcohol Problems in University Students

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Abstract Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) among university students poses risks such as academic issues and alcohol dependence, yet the role of emotion regulation strategies in alcohol problems during life transitions remains underexplored. This study explores how clusters of emotion regulation strategies among students in their final undergraduate year or any year of a master’s programme (n = 439) relate to alcohol problems over two years. Latent Class Analysis of 18 Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-short) items identified three clusters: (1) High Adaptive, Moderate Maladaptive; (2) Moderate Adaptive, Low Maladaptive; and (3) Low Adaptive, High Maladaptive Regulation. ANCOVA analyses, controlling for gender, revealed no significant concurrent or long-term differences in alcohol problems between clusters. However, the Low Adaptive, High Maladaptive cluster showed significantly higher perceived stress. These findings suggest that focusing on emotion regulation strategies may not be be crucial for reducing hazardous drinking among students with HED. Yet, supporting vulnerable students who rely on maladaptive strategies to manage stress may mitigate risks to their mental health and improve well-being.