Modeling reciprocal relations between emotion dysregulation and alcohol use using dynamic structural equation modeling: A micro‐longitudinal study

• Published in: Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research Vol. 46; no. 8; pp. 1460 - 1471
• Main Authors: Weiss, Nicole H., Brick, Leslie A., Forkus, Shannon R., Goldstein, Silvi C., Thomas, Emmanuel D., Schick, Melissa R., Barnett, Nancy P., Contractor, Ateka A., Sullivan, Tami P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.08.2022
• Subjects: Aggression; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Alcohol use; Alcoholism; Cross-Sectional Studies; Domestic violence; dynamic structural equation modeling; emotion dysregulation; Emotional disorders; Emotional regulation; Emotions; Female; Health risks; Humans; Intimate partner violence; Latent Class Analysis; Longitudinal Studies; negative emotions; positive emotions; Structural equation modeling; intimate partner violence; dynamic structural equation modeling; emotion dysregulation; alcohol use; positive emotions; negative emotions
• ISSN: 0145-6008; 1530-0277
• DOI: 10.1111/acer.14881

Background Research examining emotion dysregulation and alcohol use has increased exponentially over the past decade. However, these studies have been limited by their use of cross‐sectional designs and narrow definitions of emotion dysregulation. To address these significant gaps in the extant literature, this study utilized state‐of‐the‐art methodology (i.e., experience sampling) and statistics (i.e., dynamic structural equation modeling) to examine potential reciprocal associations between negative and positive emotion dysregulation and alcohol use at the momentary level. Methods Participants were 145 community women (mean age = 40.56, 40.3% white) experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and using substances. Surveys assessing negative and positive emotion dysregulation and alcohol use (i.e., number of standard drinks) were administered three times a day for 30 days using phone‐based interactive voice recording. Results Significant contemporaneous effects indicated that negative and positive emotion dysregulation both co‐occurred with alcohol use. However, levels of negative and positive emotion dysregulation did not predict later alcohol use, nor did alcohol use predict later levels of negative or positive emotion dysregulation. There was significant variability among participants in cross‐lagged effects. Conclusions Findings showed that negative and positive emotion dysregulation co‐occurred with alcohol use and that there was significant interindividual variability in the cross‐lagged associations between negative and positive emotion dysregulation and alcohol use. Research using idiographic approaches may identify women experiencing IPV for whom negative and positive emotion dysregulation drive alcohol use and alcohol use drives negative and positive emotion dysregulation. This study used experience sampling methods (surveys three times a day for 30 days) to explore reciprocal relations between negative and positive emotion dysregulation and alcohol use among women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV). Negative and positive emotion dysregulation co‐occurred with alcohol use. However, negative and positive emotion dysregulation did not predict later alcohol use, nor did alcohol use predict later negative and positive emotion dysregulation. Alcohol interventions for women IPV may benefit from targeting negative and positive emotion dysregulation.