Distress Tolerance as a Mechanism Linking Violence Exposure to Problematic Alcohol use in Adolescence

Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences in Adulthood: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Distress Tolerance and Drinking to Cope

“…This can create negative repercussions into adulthood, such as lower DT being associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and alcohol use (Leyro et al, 2010;Robinson et al, 2021). Indeed, there is evidence that low DT is specifically linked to problematic alcohol use in the face of negative affect (Jeffries et al, 2015;Leyro et al, 2010;Howell et al, 2010), and that DT mediates the prospective association between adolescent violence exposure and problematic alcohol use in adulthood (Heleniak et al, 2021). Taken together, existing theory and evidence point to DT as a critical factor for determining the risk of harmful alcohol use among stress-exposed young people.…”

Childhood bullying victimization, emotion regulation, rumination, distress tolerance, and depressive symptoms: A cross‐national examination among young adults in seven countries

“…Evidence regarding the link between early adversity and distress tolerance is mixed: Berenz et al (2018a, 2018b) found that childhood physical abuse and emotional neglect predicted higher perceived distress tolerance, whereas childhood emotional abuse and family violence predicted lower behavioral distress tolerance (i.e., faster desistance on an unpleasant task). Relatedly, cumulative violence exposure (both family and community violence) was associated with lower behavioral distress tolerance in a sample of urban adolescents (Heleniak et al, 2021). Based on these results, we anticipate that chronic victimization by peers may interfere with the developing capacity to tolerate distress (similar to effects of emotional abuse and witnessing violence), and that lower distress tolerance will confer risk for mood disturbance.…”