Role Of Emotion Dysregulation Research Articles

Lack of Identity and Suicidality: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Difficulties.

Identity disturbance has been connected to both psychological distress and suicidality, and associated with emotion dysregulation. However, despite empirical evidence of a relationship between lack of identity and poor psychiatric outcomes, the link between impaired identity and emotion dysregulation in suicide risk remains underexplored, particularly among individuals seeking outpatient mental health services. Using data from a large clinical sample (n = 246), the present study examined the association between lack of identity and suicidality and the role of emotion dysregulation within this process. Findings indicated that the mediation model was significant, with emotion regulation difficulties significantly mediating the association between lack of identity and future suicidal behavior. Furthermore, the indirect effect of lack of identity on anticipated suicidality remained significant beyond general distress and past suicide attempt. Our findings add to the literature examining the complex relationship among lack of identity, emotion regulation, and suicidality.

Treatment-relevant factors among adults receiving court-mandated substance use treatment: The role of emotion dysregulation.

Despite often being mandated to substance use treatment after release, many people on probation do not complete treatment. Several historical factors have been identified as relevant to substance use treatment in this population (i.e., past substance use, treatment history, and criminal history); however, less is known about the psychological characteristics, such as emotion dysregulation, that influence treatment-relevant factors among people in the criminal justice system. The present study used cross-sectional data to examine whether emotion dysregulation was associated with past-year substance use severity, engagement in prior drug and alcohol use treatments (yes/no, number of prior treatments), and previous criminal charges (total number of charges, number of charge types) in a sample of adults on probation who were receiving court-mandated substance use treatment (N = 163). We also examined whether these relationships varied across sex. Results showed that overall emotion dysregulation was more strongly linked to substance use severity and criminal charges for females than males. Emotion dysregulation dimensions of difficulties engaging in goal-directed behaviors and controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed were associated with more severe past-year substance use, more prior drug treatments, and a greater number of lifetime criminal charges and charge types. Emotion dysregulation plays a role in substance use treatment-relevant factors among people on probation. Sex-specific clinical implications of targeting emotion dysregulation in the context of mandated treatment in order to prevent treatment failures are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation in Heightened Alcohol Craving Related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms

Objective: Compared to their male counterparts, women with alcohol use disorders (AUD) alone and those with symptoms of co-occurring emotional disorders (posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD, and depression) are particularly likely to have increased alcohol craving in response to negative affect and daily stressors. Emotion dysregulation is one transdiagnostic construct that may underlie heightened craving in response to stress within this population. In a secondary data analysis, the current study examined emotion dysregulation as a mediator of the associations of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression symptoms with heightened stress-induced alcohol craving, as measured in the lab. Given the overlap in symptoms, the relative associations of PTSD and depression symptom clusters with stress-induced craving were explored. Method: 50 women Veterans (84% White, 88% Non-Hispanic, Mage=45.68) attended two in-lab sessions. Self-report measures of emotion dysregulation, PTSD, and depression symptoms were administered at baseline. During session two, participants reported on alcohol craving and negative affect at baseline and again after a personalized stress induction procedure. Results: Emotion dysregulation mediated the association of greater PTSS with heightened stress-induced craving, although emotion dysregulation was not a mediator of the association between depression and stress-induced craving. Greater alcohol craving after the stress induction was positively associated with cognitive-affective symptoms in PTSD and depression (and not with other symptom clusters of these diagnoses, e.g., avoidance, somatic-vegetative symptoms). Conclusions: Emotion dysregulation may be a transdiagnostic factor that helps to explain greater alcohol cravings and drinking in stressful contexts among women Veterans with heightened symptoms of co-occurring emotional disorders.

The impact of emotional dysregulation and comorbid depressive symptoms on clinical features, brain arousal, and treatment response in adults with ADHD.

The role of emotional dysregulation (ED) in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become an important issue. This study, in which we analyzed data from a predictive pharmaco-EEG-trial, aimed to examine whether symptoms of ED in adult ADHD affect ADHD symptom severity, brain arousal regulation as measured by resting EEG, and the response to stimulant medication. ED is defined as having a sex- and age-corrected T-score of >70 on the emotional lability subscale of the German version of Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale. A total of 115 participants were included in the study, 56 of whom had ED. Participants with ED were more impaired in terms of the severity of core ADHD symptoms, especially inattentive symptoms, comorbid depressive symptoms, interpersonal relationships, and quality of life. In addition, participants with ED were more likely to report a total score above 13 on the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which was considered to be the cutoff for mild depression. No differences were found between the ED and non-ED groups in response to stimulant medication or in brain arousal regulation. In addition, there was no significant effect of ED with comorbid depressive symptoms on treatment response. There was a trend for subgroups that showed a change in brain arousal regulation associated with symptom improvement. Our findings may support the assumption that ED may be an important feature of ADHD. The use of EEG-based brain arousal regulation as a diagnostic and predictive tool in ADHD in the presence of ED and comorbid depressive symptoms should be further investigated.

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation In Problematic Alcohol Use and Coping with Problems

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation In Problematic Alcohol Use and Coping with Problems

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation in Problematic Exercise in those with Eating Disorders

Problematic exercise is common in eating disorders (EDs) and is associated with poor treatment prognosis; thus, understanding factors associated with problematic exercise may help improve treatment outcomes. In non-clinical samples, emotion dysregulation has been associated with problematic exercise; however, longitudinal associations between emotion dysregulation and problematic exercise have not been examined in clinical ED samples. This study examined if (1) emotion dysregulating was associated with problematic exercise symptom severity and frequency of problematic exercise, and (2) early changes in emotion dysregulation during treatment predicted problematic exercise symptom severity and frequency of problematic exercise in a clinical ED sample. ED patients (N = 207) completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, and the Excessive Exercise subscale of Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory at admission, 1-month post-admission, and discharge. DERS total score was correlated with symptom severity and frequency of problematic exercise at admission. Furthermore, early changes in DERS total score from admission to 1-month predicted problematic exercise symptom severity but not frequency of problematic exercise at discharge. Thus, emotion dysregulation may maintain symptoms of problematic exercise but not frequency in EDs, providing initial evidence that targeting emotion dysregulation may help reduce symptom severity of problematic exercise.

The role of emotional dysregulation in the association between family-of-origin conflict and romantic relationship maintenance.

Family-of-origin systems are consequential for the emotional well-being of offspring. These influences are likely to last into adulthood, affecting adult children's romantic relationships. The mechanisms by which family-of-origin environments influence adult romantic relationships are not fully understood. In a sample of 118 different-sex couples, we tested the effects of negative family-of-origin conflict on adult offspring's provision of relationship maintenance to their romantic partner using structural equation modeling. We evaluated emotional dysregulation as a mediator of this effect, using two measures of emotional dysregulation. Results from structural models demonstrated a negative effect of family-of-origin conflict on the provision of relationship maintenance via higher levels of emotional dysregulation. Our results highlight emotional self-regulation as a valuable intervention point for couple therapists.

Non-suicidal self-injury in young adults with and without borderline personality disorder: the role of emotion dysregulation and negative urgency

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as self-inflicted pain, and it is used as a mechanism to alleviate psychological distress. Although NSSI is prevalent in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), it is also an increasing concern among college student populations. While emotion dysregulation and negative urgency are associated with NSSI, little is known about which dimensions specifically predict the motivations (NSSI-functions) and frequency of self-harm. The current study explored the relationship between emotion dysregulation, negative urgency, and NSSI in 86 young adults, divided into three groups: college students with NSSI, BPD patients with NSSI, and a healthy control group without NSSI. We conducted multiple regression analyses to predicted NSSI-functions and NSSI-frequency. Non-acceptance of emotions, a specific dimension of emotion dysregulation, uniquely predicted intrapersonal NSSI-functions (e.g., regulating distressing emotions), but not interpersonal NSSI-functions (e.g., communicating distress). Lastly, poor emotion regulation strategies predicted NSSI-frequency only in individuals with high negative urgency, that is, individuals who tend to act impulsively when experiencing negative emotions, but not in those with low negative urgency. Findings shed light on the underlying motivations for engaging in self-injury, and they reveal facets of emotion dysregulation relevant for NSSI treatment. La Autolesión No Suicida (ANS) se define como un dolor auto-infligido que se utiliza como un mecanismo para aliviar la angustia psicológica. Aunque ANS es común en el trastorno límite de la personalidad (TLP), también es un problema creciente en estudiantes universitarios. Si bien la desregulación emocional y la urgencia negativa están asociadas con ANS, poco se sabe sobre las dimensiones específicas que predicen la motivación (funciones) y la frecuencia de las autolesiones. Se exploró la relación entre la desregulación emocional, la urgencia negativa, y ANS en 86 adultos jóvenes, divididos en tres grupos: estudiantes universitarios con ANS, pacientes TLP con ANS y un grupo de control sano sin ANS. Realizamos análisis de regresión múltiple para predecir las funciones y frecuencia de ANS. La no aceptación de las emociones, una dimensión especifica de la desregulación emocional, predijo de manera única las funciones intrapersonales de ANS, pero no las funciones interpersonales. Por último, la falta de estrategias de regulación emocional predijo la frecuencia de ANS solo en individuos con una alta urgencia negativa, es decir, individuos que tienden a actuar impulsivamente cuando experimentan emociones negativas, pero no en aquellos con una baja urgencia negativa. Los hallazgos resaltan las motivaciones subyacentes a la autolesión y revelan facetas de la desregulación emocional relevantes para el tratamiento de ANS.

Intergenerational Effects of Childhood Maltreatment: Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Emotion Socialization

Intergenerational Effects of Childhood Maltreatment: Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Emotion Socialization

The Role of Emotion Dysregulation in the Relationship Between Sleep Disturbances and PTSD Symptom Severity.

Emotion dysregulation is implicated in the development, maintenance, and treatment of sleep disturbances and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) separately. However, few studies have assessed interactions among these variables. To address this gap, this study examined whether the associations of sleep quality and sleep quantity with PTSD severity were stronger at higher levels of negative and positive emotion dysregulation in a community sample of 199 trauma-exposed individuals. This study found that both poorer sleep quality and lower sleep quantity were associated with greater PTSD severity at low to average (but not high) levels of negative emotion dysregulation. Positive emotion dysregulation did not moderate the relationships between sleep quality or quantity and PTSD severity. Exploratory additive multiple moderation analyses showed significant associations between poorer sleep quality and lower sleep quantity with greater PTSD severity at low to average levels of negative emotion dysregulation, coupled with any level of positive emotion dysregulation. Findings inform theoretical perspectives on the sleep-PTSD relationship and clinical applications of targeting emotion dysregulation in the treatment of sleep disturbances and PTSD symptoms for trauma-exposed individuals.

Self-harming Behaviors and suicide probability in delinquent adolescent girls: The role of emotion dysregulation and modeling the self-harming of peers

Background: Adolescents may be exposed to several mental health related difficulties due to lack of complete cognitive maturity. Objective: This study investigated the mediation of emotion dysregulation and modeling of peers in relation between self-harming behaviors and suicide probability in adolescent. Material& Methods: In a descriptive study, we investigated juvenile delinquents of Correction and Rehabilitation Center of Mashhad during 2021. A total of 148 individuals were selected and evaluated using the self-harm motivation scale, Ottawa self-harming inventory, regulation problems scale and peer self-harm modeling scale. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS-3 software. Results: The mean age of participants was 16.21 (standard deviation=2.42). There was significant direct effect of self-harming behaviors on suicide probability (β=0.86 , P= 0.001 ). The significant indirect effect of self-harming behaviors on suicide probability through emotional dysregulation (β= 0.36, P= 0.001 ) was stronger than indirect effect mediated by peers modeling (β=0.17 , P= 0.04 ). The model account for 87 % of total variance of suicide probability. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that emotion dysregulation and peers modeling play a role in increasing suicide probability and should be considered in preventing harmful behaviors in adolescents.

The potential addictive mechanism involved in repetitive nonsuicidal self-injury: The roles of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity in adolescents.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is highly prevalent in adolescents and is associated with various mental health problems. Repetitive NSSI (R-NSSI), as an extreme manifestation of NSSI, is a growing concern and has been proposed as a behavioral addiction. However, little is known about the potential addictive mechanisms of NSSI. This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of emotion dysregulation and the moderating effect of impulsivity using the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model in adolescents who repeatedly engage in NSSI. A total of 3,915 adolescents (mean age = 13.21 years, SD = 0.87, 57.6% male) were recruited from three middle schools. Relevant questionnaires were used to evaluate childhood maltreatment, emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and NSSI. Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted separately for adolescents with occasional NSSI (O-NSSI) and R-NSSI to assess the relationship between childhood maltreatment, emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and NSSI frequency. Our study found that childhood maltreatment was directly related to NSSI and indirectly related to NSSI through emotion dysregulation in both the R-NSSI and O-NSSI groups. Furthermore, impulsivity played a moderating role in the relationship between emotion dysregulation and NSSI in the R-NSSI group but not in the O-NSSI group. The findings suggest that a high level of impulsivity and a high level of emotion dysregulation may be important risk addictive factors of NSSI through childhood maltreatment. Strengthening the emotion regulation skills and inhibitory control of adolescents with NSSI would be helpful to reduce their self-injury behaviors and maintain their mental health. This finding also supports the validity of the I-PACE model for evaluating R-NSSI.

Cumulative exposure to traumatic events and craving among women in residential treatment for substance use disorder: The role of emotion dysregulation and mindfulness disposition.

Strong evidence links exposure to traumatic life events with subsequent substance use disorders (SUD). Compared to men, women in SUD treatment are more likely to have a history of trauma, characterized in part by emotion dysregulation known to negatively influence treatment outcomes. Existing research has been conducted with predominantly male and non-Hispanic White samples, with an emphasis on adverse childhood experiences. Little is known about how exposure to cumulative traumatic events across the lifespan affects emotion dysregulation and how this may influence craving, particularly among racial and ethnic minoritized women with SUD. Mindfulness disposition may serve as a protective factor that could buffer the impact of trauma exposure and emotion dysregulation on substance use craving among underrepresented minoritized women with SUD. This study examined the association between cumulative exposure to traumatic events, emotion dysregulation, and mindfulness disposition on substance use craving in a sample of predominantly Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black women in residential treatment for SUD. Cross-sectional data were analyzed for a baseline sample of 241 women (56.96% Hispanic, 20.7% non-Hispanic White, 20.7% non-Hispanic Black; age: M = 32.11) entering a SUD residential treatment facility who agreed to participate in a parent randomized controlled trial. Findings indicated that greater cumulative exposure to traumatic events and emotion dysregulation were associated with higher levels of craving. Cumulative traumatic event exposure was indirectly associated with higher craving via lower levels in the mindfulness dimension of acting with awareness. Interaction effects also revealed greater exposure to traumatic events was associated with higher levels of craving among women with low and average (but not high) levels of mindfulness disposition. These findings provide insight into the potential benefits of targeting emotion regulation and mindfulness-building strategies such as acting with awareness in interventions among racial-ethnically diverse women with SUD. These strategies may be particularly beneficial among those that have experienced extensive histories of trauma exposure. Overall, knowledge gained from the present study can be particularly valuable towards informing treatment models in minoritized groups that currently experience disparities in treatment utilization and outcomes.

The Role of Emotional Dysregulation, Impulsivity Traits and Aggressive Behaviors in Adolescents Who Sustain Multiple Motor-Vehicle Crashes.

Adolescents tend to experience multiple motor-vehicle crashes (MVCs). Recent literature has thoroughly explored the psychological consequences following an MVC, but prior psychological functioning, the ability to regulate one's emotions and tendencies to impulsivity and aggressive behaviors have been far less explored. This study aims to explore the emotional-behavioral functioning, measured with the Youth Self-Report (YSR); emotional dysregulation, measured with the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS); impulsivity traits, measured with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11); and the capacity to be mindful, measured with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), in adolescents that have experienced one or more MVCs in a year. N = 295 adolescents who visited an emergency department for MVCs were divided in two groups based on the number of MVCs they had sustained over the course of a year. The adolescents in Group 1 sustained more than three MVCs, and adolescents in Group 2 sustained only one. Participants were assessed through self-report questionnaires. Adolescents showed difficulties in emotional regulation, impulsivity traits, aggressive behaviors and a low capacity to be mindful. These results may be useful in the creation of intervention and prevention programs focused on emotional awareness targets for adolescents.

Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse: A Qualitative Exploration of UK Military Personnel and Civilian Partner Experiences

PurposeThe prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPVA) perpetration and victimisation has been found to be higher in serving and ex-serving military samples compared to civilians. Despite this, there is a lack of qualitative research exploring the IPVA experiences of couples in which one or both partners are serving or have served in the military. This qualitative study aimed to explore IPVA experiences within the UK military community from the perspective of serving and ex-serving military personnel and civilian partners of UK military personnel.MethodOne-to-one telephone interviews were conducted with 40 serving and ex-serving military personnel (29 male, 11 female) and 25 female civilian partners. Data was analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsFour superordinate themes were derived: (1) patterns and directions of IPVA, (2) types of IPVA, (3) perceived drivers of IPVA and (4) perceived impact of IPVA. The findings point to frequent bidirectional abuse in part driven by poor communication and emotion regulation, whilst also highlighting the experiences of severe IPVA victimisation of civilian partners by military personnel motivated by power and control. Perceived drivers of both IPVA perpetration and victimisation include military factors borne of military culture or training, alcohol and mental health difficulties.ConclusionThese results highlight the role of cultural norms, as well as the role of emotion dysregulation, poor communication skills and mental health difficulties in explaining and perpetuating abuse within ecological theoretical frameworks of violence among couples within which one or both partners are serving or ex-serving military personnel.

Linking ADHD and ASD Symptomatology with Social Impairment: The Role of Emotion Dysregulation.

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience social impairments. These children also frequently struggle with emotion regulation, and extant literature suggests that emotion dysregulation predicts social impairment in both clinical and neurotypical populations. However, the evidence base linking ADHD/ASD with social impairment comes primarily from samples meeting full diagnostic criteria for ADHD and/or ASD despite evidence that both syndromes reflect extreme ends of natural continuums that are normally distributed across the general population. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to concurrently examine unique and overlapping relations among ADHD/ASD symptoms, emotion regulation, and social difficulties using multi-informant measures (parent, teacher) with a clinically-evaluated sample of 108 children ages 8-13 (40 girls; 66% White/Non-Hispanic) with and without clinically-elevated ASD and ADHD symptoms and other common clinical disorders. Bias-corrected, bootstrapped conditional effects modeling revealed that ADHD-inattentive (β=-0.23) and ASD-social communication (β=-0.20) symptoms predicted social impairment directly, whereas ADHD-hyperactive/impulsive (β=-0.06) and ASD-restricted/repetitive behavior/interests (β=-0.06) symptoms predicted social impairment only via their shared associations with emotion dysregulation. Sensitivity analyses revealed that most relations were robust to control for item overlap across measures. In contrast, only the ADHD-inattention/social impairment link was robust to control for mono-informant bias, highlighting the importance of multi-informant methods and the potential for different determinants of social functioning across settings. Overall, this study implicates emotion regulation skills and all four ADHD/ASD symptom clusters as potential influences on children's social functioning, albeit with a more nuanced and potentially setting-specific pattern than suggested by prior work.

ADHD Symptoms and Procrastination in College Students: The Roles of Emotion Dysregulation and Self-Esteem

ADHD Symptoms and Procrastination in College Students: The Roles of Emotion Dysregulation and Self-Esteem

The role of emotion dysregulation and intolerance of uncertainty in autism: Transdiagnostic factors influencing co-occurring conditions

BackgroundIndividuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are more likely to have co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety. Transdiagnostic constructs such as intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and emotion dysregulation (ED) have both been shown to be individually associated with depression and anxiety in those with ASD. AimsThe current study examined the relationship between IU and ED, depression, and anxiety in an ED treatment-seeking sample and examined whether ED acts as a mediator between IU-depression and IU-anxiety. Methods and ProceduresWe examined baseline scores for 78 adolescents and young adults (12–21 years old) who were participating in an ED treatment. We assessed for correlations between IU, Reactivity and Dysphoria, anxiety, and depression symptoms, and then conducted mediation analyses to determine whether Reactivity and Dysphoria functioned as a mediator in IU- anxiety and IU- depression relationships. Outcomes and ResultsConcordant with prior research, ED, IU, anxiety, and depression scores were correlated. Both Reactivity and Dysphoria were found to mediate both IU-depression and IU-anxiety. Conclusions and ImplicationsFindings suggest that ED contributes to how IU affects psychopathology. Furthermore, both IU and ED may be pertinent treatment targets for individuals with depression or anxiety and ASD.

Modified Dual Pathway Model for Binge Eating: The Role of Emotion Dysregulation

We tested a modification of the dual pathway model using two sequential mediators between body dissatisfaction and binge eating: restricted eating and difficulties in emotion regulation replacing negative affect. A total of 435 college students completed an online survey. Results from path analyses indicated that the relationship between body dissatisfaction and binge eating was not mediated by restricted eating for neither women nor men. However, this relationship was mediated first by restricted eating and then by difficulties in emotion regulation for women only. Moreover, this relationship was mediated by difficulties in emotion regulation for both women and men. A post hoc analysis indicated that the above mediation results were still significant after adding negative affect into the model. No mediations through negative affect were significant. Clinical implications include the conceptualization and intervention of eating concerns within an emotion dysregulation framework.

Family Functioning and Risky Behaviors Among Female Adolescents: Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Decision-Making Styles

Family Functioning and Risky Behaviors Among Female Adolescents: Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Decision-Making Styles