The Role of Ineffective Emotion Regulation in Problem Drinking Varies by Emotional Disposition, Delinquency, and Gender of South Korean Adolescents

Abstract

This study examined the role of emotion regulation (ER) strategies and emotional disposition in problem drinking of adolescent offenders (n = 303) and non-offending peers (n = 287) from South Korea. The participants completed a questionnaire assessing problem drinking, positive and negative emotion, emotional intensity, and use of problem solving, support seeking, and avoidant ER strategies. Problem drinking was positively associated with negative emotion, emotional intensity, and support-seeking ER in both groups, and avoidant ER among offenders only. Support-seeking ER accounted for the association between positive emotion and drinking in both groups, and avoidant ER further accounted for the association between positive emotion and drinking among offenders. Only among female offenders was the association between emotional intensity and drinking explained by support-seeking ER. The results imply that intervention to improve ER effectiveness, taking into account emotional disposition, delinquency differences, and gender, may help lessen problem drinking among adolescents.