Individual and interpersonal emotion regulation among adults with substance use disorders and matched controls

Abstract

Compared to matched controls, adults with substance use disorders self-report significantly more difficulties with emotional awareness and regulation. Compared to matched controls, adults with substance use disorders report significantly greater expectancies not to show depression and anxiety. When viewing positive and negative images, adults with substance use disorders are significantly less flexible in their facial expression of emotion than matched controls in response to regulatory instructions. Emotion regulation should be measured and addressed as part of substance use disorder treatment.

Interpersonal Emotion Regulation: A Review of Social and Developmental Components

“…In addition to mood and anxiety disorders, other research indicates that difficulties in interpersonal emotion regulation also affects the risk and maintenance of substance use and personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology. For example, Dingle, Neves, Alhadad, and Hides (2018) examined interpersonal emotion regulation in adults with or without substance use disorders and found differences related to the regulation, sharing, and awareness of emotions. Specifically, those with substance use problems expected that they would not experience anxious or depressed feelings, as measured by the Social Emotion Expectancy Scale.…”

Choir singing and creative writing enhance emotion regulation in adults with chronic mental health conditions

“…For example, others can help a depressed person to distract from a negative situation, to shift attention to more neutral and positive stimuli, and can support cognitive change through the explicit correction of unhelpful cognitions or by emphasizing schema‐inconsistent information to the depressed person (Marroquín, ). A recent study of adults in residential treatment for substance use disorders found that, in comparison with matched controls, they experience marked difficulties in emotional awareness and regulation, and find it more difficult to regulate their facial expressions of emotion in response to visual stimuli (Dingle, da Costa Neves, Alhadad, & Hides, submitted).…”

Mind-Body Approaches to Prevention and Intervention for Alcohol and Other Drug Use/Abuse in Young Adults

“…Substance use prevention and treatment efforts then are best able to address the relationships between substance use and mood by considering how emotional experiences underlie or exacerbate maladaptive coping strategies. As noted by Dingle and colleagues [ 39 ], “even following treatment, emotional distress is the number one trigger for relapse into substance misuse” (p. 187). Thus, learning ER skills, particularly the management of distress, holds significant promise in preventing the escalation of AOD misuse to SUDs in young adulthood.…”