Do experiences of early adversity differentially contribute to dynamic fluctuations in dysregulated drinking through their effects on behavioral and emotional dysregulation?

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ABSTRACT Up to one-third of young adults report dysregulated drinking behavior each month and alcohol misuse by young adults results in over 1,500 deaths per year. Thus, it is crucial to understand etiologic factors that contribute to the development of dysregulated alcohol use. Most young adults have experienced childhood adversity—and experiences of childhood adversity may account for nearly 1/3 of adolescent and young adult substance use disorders. Inconsistent findings for the relation between adversity and dysregulated drinking may be clarified by examining unique adverse experiences of threat and deprivation. As both potential consequences of adversity and strong predictors of dysregulated drinking, negative urgency and emotion dysregulation may be potential mechanisms for this association. Thus, further exploration into the daily dynamics of these factors is warranted. This study proposes to investigate how experiences of early adversity contribute to dynamic fluctuations in dysregulated drinking through their effects on behavioral and emotional dysregulation. The study will use an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) design in order to characterize how experiences of threat and deprivation contribute to daily processes that may lead to daily dysregulated drinking. Young adults ages 18-22 (N=500) will be recruited for intensive longitudinal assessment of substance use and affect. Participants will provide daily reports of their negative urgency, emotional volatility, reflexive emotion regulation, and daily alcohol intentions and use. Findings from this study could inform prevention efforts by identifying individual difference factors that contribute to dysregulated drinking at a daily level, as well as possible targets for intervention. The proposed study represents innovation over prior research because there has not yet been a study that synthesizes threat and deprivation with fluctuations in behavioral and emotion dysregulation and their links to dysregulated drinking at a daily level. This study is aligned with the strategic plan of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), as it has possible implications for understanding the development and improving prevention of alcohol misuse during the high- risk developmental period of young adulthood. The funding of this project will provide substantial training to an emerging predoctoral researcher in ethics, research methodology, advanced quantitative methods, and career development. Overall, this project will illuminate processes by which early adversity contributes to behavioral and emotional dysregulation, and how these processes relate to dysregulated drinking.