title: Testing bidirectional associations among emotion regulation strategies and substance use: a daily diary study.
abstract: Alcohol and marijuana are widely used among college students. Emotion regulation strategies have been linked to alcohol and marijuana use, but little attention has been devoted to modeling the directionality of these associations. The aims of the current study were to test whether (a) daytime use of emotion regulation strategies influences the likelihood of evening substance use and (b) evening substance use influences the likelihood of next-day use of emotion regulation strategies.
  
  
  
  Longitudinal daily diary data were collected for 30 days via on-line surveys.
  
  
  
  Northeastern United States.
  
  
  
  A total of 1640 college students (mean age = 19.2 years, 54% female, 80% European American) were recruited each semester between Spring 2008 and Spring 2012.
  
  
  
  Daily diaries assessed emotion regulation strategies (distraction, reappraisal, problem-solving, avoidance) and substance use (any drinking, heavy drinking, marijuana use, co-use of any drinking/heavy drinking and marijuana). Covariates included gender, age, race/ethnicity, fraternity/sorority involvement and baseline depression.
  
  
  
  Daytime distraction [odds ratio (OR) = 0.95], reappraisal (OR = 0.95) and problem-solving (OR = 0.94) predicted lower odds of evening marijuana use (P-values < 0.02). Evening heavy drinking (OR = 0.90) and marijuana use (OR = 0.89) predicted lower odds of next-day problem-solving, with heavy drinking also predicting higher odds (OR = 1.08) of next-day avoidance and marijuana use also predicting higher odds (OR = 1.08) of next-day reappraisal (P-values < 0.03).
  
  
  
  There appear to be reciprocal relations among emotion regulation strategies and substance use: greater daytime use of distraction, reappraisal, and problem solving predicts lower evening substance use, while higher evening substance use predicts higher next-day avoidance and reappraisal but lower next-day problem-solving.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Krysten W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Bold
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Tami P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Armeli
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tennen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000067292:Alcohol Drinking in College / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D000074609:Marijuana Use / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011340:Problem Solving; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol; avoidance; distraction; drinking; emotion regulation; marijuana; problem-solving; reappraisal; substance use