Urgency and negative emotions: Evidence for moderation on negative alcohol consequences

Prior research had shown that impulsivity may enhance the impact of negative emotions on alcohol related problems. However, these studies used broad measures of both negative emotions and impulsivity that may have obscured the effects of more specific constructs of impulsivity or negative emotions. One such construct is urgency, which is defined as the tendency to act impulsively in the face of strong positive emotions (positive urgency) or negative emotions (negative urgency). The present study tested whether urgency moderated the association between separate negative emotions (anger, depression and anxiety) and alcohol related problems. Data were obtained from a large online sample of currently drinking college students attending a large Northwestern university (n = 442). Findings indicated that alcohol related problems were directly associated with anger and both urgency facets. Additionally, positive urgency, but not negative urgency, enhanced the effects of depression, while the buffering effects of positive urgency on the anxiety-consequences association approached significance. These results suggest the importance of emotional context in understanding how dispositions towards rash action may lead to problematic alcohol use.

► Anger and both urgency facets were directly linked with alcohol related problems.
► The interaction between positive urgency and depression was significant.
► Positive urgency enhanced the effects of depression on alcohol related problems.
► The interaction between positive urgency and anxiety approached significance.
► Positive urgency buffered against the effects of anxiety on alcohol related problems.