Difficulties in emotion regulation and problem drinking in young women: The mediating effect of metacognitions about alcohol use

• Emotion dysregulation, metacognitions and alcohol use in young women were examined.
• Metacognition may be a mediator between emotion dysregulation and problem drinking.
• Positive metacognitions fully mediate between emotion dysregulation and drinking.
• Drinking in young people relates to positive expectation concerning self-regulation.

IntroductionThe aim of the current study was to examine, in a sample of women aged 18 25, the association between difficulties in emotion regulation, metacognitions about alcohol use and problem drinking. According to metacognitive model of problem drinking, it was assumed that metacognitions are potential mediators in the relationship between emotional dysregulation and problem drinking.MethodsA total sample of 502 women was recruited. They were administered a questionnaire identifying problem drinking (AUDIT), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and two scales measuring metacognitions about alcohol use: the Positive Alcohol Metacognitions Scale (PAMS) and the Negative Alcohol Metacognitions Scale (NAMS). A structural equation model of the relationships between emotional dysregulation and problem drinking – including a mediating role of metacognitions concerning alcohol use – was tested.ResultsNo direct association between emotional dysregulation and problem drinking was observed. A relationship between those variables became apparent once metacognitions were considered as a mediator; however, only positive metacognitions about alcohol use emerged as a significant predictor of drinking behavior, and as a full mediator of the relationship between emotion dysregulation and problem drinking.ConclusionsThe results provide evidence for a metacognitive conceptualization of problem drinking. They emphasize the role of positive metacognitions about alcohol use. However, this result could be age-specific; it confirms previous findings that, in samples of young people, drinking is primarily related to positive metacognitions concerning cognitive emotional self-regulation.