Difficulties with positive, but not negative, emotion regulation moderate the association between positive alcohol expectancies and alcohol use in college students.

BACKGROUND

Positive alcohol expectancies are linked to increased alcohol use among college students. Difficulties regulating emotion have been shown to moderate this relationship, though little research accounts for differences based on the valence of the emotion being regulated.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the independent moderating roles of positive and negative emotion dysregulation on the association between positive alcohol expectancies and alcohol use.

METHODS

College students (N = 165, Mage = 20.48, SDage = 1.90; 66.1 % Female; 66.7 % White; 65.5 % non-Hispanic) who reported regular substance use (≥ 3 times in the past week) completed a one-time survey. Linear regression analyses with moderation were conducted.

RESULTS

Correlational analyses suggested that positive alcohol expectancies, positive emotion dysregulation, and negative emotion dysregulation were positively associated with greater alcohol use. Linear regression analyses indicated that difficulties with positive emotion regulation moderated the relationship between positive alcohol expectancies and alcohol use. However, difficulties with negative emotion regulation did not moderate this relationship. College students who reported greater positive alcohol expectancies and concurrently greater difficulties with positive emotion regulation also report greater alcohol consumption, compared to those who reported greater positive alcohol expectancies and fewer difficulties regulating positive emotion.

DISCUSSION: Difficulties with positive, not negative, emotion regulation may serve as a risk factor for hazardous alcohol use in college students. Findings may inform the modification of existing intervention programs across university counseling centers and other health sectors to promote the development of positive emotion regulation skills for individuals who endorse positive emotion regulation difficulties, thereby reducing hazardous alcohol use amid this high-risk developmental period.