Emotion dysregulation, transdiagnostic vulnerabilities, and e-cigarette expectancies in a young adult sample. (May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brockenberry, Laurel O.; Braitman, Abby L.; Harrell, Paul T.
• Is Part Of: Addictive behaviors. Volume 128(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-05
• Subjects: ETV Emotional Transdiagnostic Vulnerabilities; Emotional transdiagnostic vulnerabilities -- E-cigarette use -- E-cigarette expectancies -- Emotion regulation; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Drug addiction -- Periodicals; Nicotine addiction -- Periodicals; Smoking -- Periodicals; Gambling -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 362.29
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107253
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4603

Abstract

Highlights: Psychological distress is linked to vaping, but the mechanisms are unclear. Expectancy was linked to vaping and four emotional vulnerabilities (EV). The effect between positive urgency and vaping was mediated by expectancy (47%). Negative urgency was related to e-cigarette expectancies, above all other EV. Abstract: Objective: Use of e-cigarettes is more common among youth with psychological distress. Negative affect reduction outcome expectancies (beliefs about ability of a product to reduce unpleasant emotional states) and emotional transdiagnostic vulnerabilities (maladaptive responses to emotional states common to multiple forms of emotional psychopathology) are both positively related to tobacco susceptibility and use. However, it is unclear if expectancies mediate the effects between emotional issues and use. Method: College students aged 18 to 24 ( N = 216; 79.6% female; 36.6% African American) completed an online survey with measures on e-cigarette negative affect reduction outcome expectancies (ENAROE), e-cigarette use, and the following emotional transdiagnostic vulnerabilities (ETV): difficulties in emotion regulation, distress tolerance (DT), positive/negative urgency, and positive/negative affect. Results: In individual predictor path analysis models, ENAROE mediated the relationship between ETVs and e-cigarette use. Expectancies (ENAROE) mediated 47.3% of the total relationship between positive urgency and use. Significant effects were found for a comprehensive model, in which negative urgency was related to higher ENAROE ( b = 0.47, 95% BCCI [0.04, 0.96]), controlling for all other transdiagnostic vulnerabilities. Higher positive urgency was related to an increased likelihood of current use. Conclusions: This study provides a novel examination of expectancies as a potential mediator for current e-cigarette use via emotional vulnerabilities. Negative Affect Reduction outcome expectancies mediated the relationship between vulnerabilities and e-cigarette use, indicating that the association between positive urgency and e-cigarette use may be explained partially though emotional expectancies. Thus, expectancies are important targets for prevention and further ETV research.