A path model of different forms of impulsivity with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology: Towards greater specificity

Urged to feel certain again: The role of emotion-related impulsivity on the relationships between intolerance of uncertainty and OCD symptom severity

OBJECTIVES

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive thoughts accompanied by repetitive mental or physical acts. While both intolerance of uncertainty and emotion-related impulsivity have been consistently evidenced as cognitive risk factors of OCD, no studies have considered their joint effects. The current study examined the interaction between intolerance of uncertainty and two forms of emotion-related impulsivity-including both a behavioural and cognitive form-in predicting OCD symptoms.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional data were collected online from community-based adult participants.

METHODS

Participants (N = 673) completed a battery of self-report measures of OCD symptom severity, intolerance of uncertainty, and emotion-related impulsivity.

RESULTS

The behavioural form of emotion-related impulsivity positively moderated the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and OCD symptoms. Elevated levels of both factors predicted the most severe symptoms, particularly checking, washing, and obsessing. This interaction effect was not found for the cognitive form of emotion-related impulsivity, which still emerged as a unique predictor of OCD symptom severity, specifically obsessing symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Current findings furthered the understanding of the link between intolerance of uncertainty and OCD symptoms by highlighting the role of emotion-related impulsivity. When uncertainty triggers distress in individuals with high intolerance of uncertainty, the urge to behaviourally alleviate this distress could promote the use of maladaptive obsessions and compulsions, leading to greater OCD symptoms. Results also indicated the potentially differential effects from the behavioural versus cognitive forms of emotion-related impulsivity on different symptom domains, and the mechanistic link here is worthy of further investigation.

Emotion-related impulsivity across transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology

OBJECTIVE

Several dimensions have received attention for their potential role in explaining shared variance in transdiagnostic symptoms of psychopathology. We hypothesized emotion-related impulsivity, the trait-like tendency toward difficulty restraining responses to emotion, would relate to symptoms of psychopathology, with two separable dimensions of emotion-related impulsivity relating distinctly to internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

METHOD

Across two studies, we tested hypotheses using structural equation models of emotion-related impulsivity and multiple indicators of internalizing, externalizing, and thought symptoms.

RESULTS

In Study 1 (658 undergraduates), emotion-related impulsivity was highly correlated with the general psychopathology (p) factor. In study 2 (421 Mechanical Turk participants), models did not support a general p factor; however, we replicated the hypothesized associations of emotion-related impulsivity dimensions with internalizing and externalizing factors. Across both studies, forms of emotion-related impulsivity uniquely and differentially related to internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicate emotion-related impulsivity may help explain transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology, such as the p factor.

On the impulsivity path: Examining the unique and conjoint relations between emotion- and non-emotion-related impulsivity, internalizing symptoms, alcohol use, and physical health parameters

BACKGROUND

Researchers have increasingly differentiated trait-like tendencies toward impulsivity occurring during emotional states (emotion-related impulsivity [ERI]) from impulsivity not tied to emotion (non-ERI). Relative to non-ERI, ERI has shown robust correlations with psychopathology and mild to moderate associations with physical health parameters (e.g., physical activity, poor sleep quality, body mass index [BMI]). Therefore, we first aimed to investigate the unique contributions of ERI and non-ERI to psychopathology symptoms while controlling for neuroticism. Second, we sought to explore the combined associations of physical health parameters with several impulsivity forms.

METHODS

German-speaking adults (N = 350, 35.9 ± 14.6 years, 69.1% female, BMI: 24.0 ± 4.8 kg/m2 , mostly students or employees) completed measures of impulsivity, psychopathology symptoms, neuroticism, and physical health. We gathered measures of two ERI forms: Feelings Trigger Action and Pervasive Influence of Feelings. As a control comparison, we gathered a measure of non-ERI, the Lack of Follow-Through scale. We conducted separate path models for Aims 1 and 2.

RESULTS

For Aim 1, Pervasive Influence of Feelings showed strong links with internalizing symptoms. Feelings Trigger Action and Lack of Follow-Through showed small links with alcohol use. For Aim 2, poor sleep quality was related to all three impulsivity factors, while physical activity was only related to Pervasive Influence of Feelings and Lack of Follow-Through. BMI showed a curvilinear association with impulsivity.

CONCLUSIONS

ERI is more directly relevant than non-ERI for psychopathology symptoms, emphasizing the need to differentiate between the two ERI types. The association of ERI and non-ERI with physical activity and poor sleep quality may serve as potential treatment targets for impulsivity-related problems.

Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity mediates the relationships between 'Dark Triad' traits and cyberbullying perpetration

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation have been associated with psychological distress, including depression and suicidal ideation. Prior studies have shown that the 'Dark Triad' personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) are associated with greater likelihood of perpetration, yet there is a research gap regarding potential mediators of this relationship.

AIMS

To test whether functional and dysfunctional impulsivity act as mediators between Dark Triad traits and cyberbullying perpetration.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online study was conducted, in which a sample of 141 university students (63% male) from Malaysia were recruited by online and local poster advertising inviting them to complete a questionnaire containing a series of psychometric scales, including measures of 'Dark Triad' personality traits, impulsivity and cyberbullying perpetration.

RESULTS

A relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and higher psychopathy scale scores was mediated by dysfunctional, but not functional, impulsivity. The relationship between cyberbullying and narcissism scores was not mediated by impulsivity. Higher Machiavellianism scores were similarly associated with cyberbullying, but there was no correlation at all between Machiavellianism and impulsivity scores.

CONCLUSION

Our findings add to the literature by showing that not only Dark Triad scale scores are associated with cyberbullying, but that difficulty in refraining from or controlling impulsive behaviours (dysfunctional impulsivity) may be a key component in this relationship. Given that our sample was of generally well-functioning people, our findings may not extend to those with serious cyberbullying problems. Yet, they provide avenues for identifying people at risk of such behaviours before problems become well-established and call for more nuanced approaches towards understanding and intervening with problematic cyberbullying.

Emotion-related impulsivity is related to orbitofrontal cortical sulcation

Background

Emotion-related impulsivity (ERI) describes the trait-like tendency toward poor self-control when experiencing strong emotions. ERI has been shown to be elevated across psychiatric disorders and predictive of the onset and worsening of psychiatric syndromes. Recent work has correlated ERI scores with the neuroanatomy of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Informed by a growing body of research indicating that the morphology of cortical folds (sulci) can produce insights into behavioral outcomes, the present study modeled the association between ERI and the sulcal morphology of OFC at a finer scale than previously conducted.

Methods

Analyses were conducted in a transdiagnostic sample of 118 individuals with a broad range of psychiatric syndromes. We first manually defined over 2000 sulci across the 118 participants. We then implemented a model-based LASSO regression to relate OFC sulcal morphology to ERI and test whether effects were specific to ERI as compared to non-emotion-related impulsivity.

Results

The LASSO regression revealed bilateral associations of ERI with the depth of eight OFC sulci. These effects were specific to ERI and were not observed in non-emotion-related impulsivity. In addition, we identified a new transverse component of the olfactory sulcus in every hemisphere that is dissociable from the longitudinal component based on anatomical features and correlation with behavior, which could serve as a new transdiagnostic biomarker.

Conclusions

The results of this data-driven investigation provide greater neuroanatomical and neurodevelopmental specificity on how OFC is related to ERI. As such, findings link neuroanatomical characteristics to a trait that is highly predictive of psychopathology.

Does Emotion-Related Impulsivity Relate to Specific ADHD Symptom Dimensions, and Do the Effects Generalize Across Comorbid Internalizing and Externalizing Syndromes?

BACKGROUND

Recent work highlights the role of emotion dysregulation in the pathology of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As such, emotion-related impulsivity (ERI), the trait-like tendency toward disinhibited thoughts (Pervasive Influence of Feelings, PIF) and actions (Feelings Trigger Action, FTA) during heightened emotional states, may be particularly relevant. We explored whether Inattention (IN) and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (HI), two core symptom dimensions of ADHD, would relate to distinct facets of ERI, and whether externalizing and internalizing symptoms would moderate these relations.

METHOD

Using structural equation modeling, we examined hypotheses among 364 adults recruited for high internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

RESULTS

We identified significant paths for FTA regressed on HI and PIF regressed on IN, supporting our hypotheses about main effects. Moderating paths were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

IN and HI correlate with distinct forms of ERI, These effects appear to generalize across co-occurring internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Depression and stress are associated with latent profiles of problematic social media use among college students

Background

The previous literature has demonstrated that depression, anxiety, and stress are significant predictors of problematic social media use. However, the manifestation of problematic social media use varies, and the predictive relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress with different subgroups of problematic social media use remains unclear. The aim of this research was to evaluate latent subgroups of problematic social media use among college students and to investigate the impact of depression, anxiety, and stress on these latent subgroups.

Methods

A survey was carried out among college students in China using a cross-sectional approach. A total of 955 participants were included, with a mean age of 19.50 ± 1.22 years. Participants completed questionnaires containing the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The study employed latent profile analysis (LPA) to investigate latent subgroups of Chinese college students with problematic social media use, and a robust three-step approach was used to develop predictive regression mixed models of depression, anxiety, and stress on latent subgroups.

Results

Problematic social media use of Chinese college students can be categorized into four latent subgroups, namely, the high-risk group, the moderate-risk with pleasure group, the moderate-risk with compulsion group, and the low-risk group. The regression model showed that there was a significant difference between the high-risk group and the low-risk group on the stress scale. There was a significant difference between the moderate-risk with pleasure group and the moderate-risk with compulsion group on the depression scale.

Conclusion

Problematic social media use is heterogeneous, with depression and stress being potentially key factors influencing problematic social media use. Depression would make college students more likely to be moderate-risk with compulsion problematic social media users than moderate-risk with pleasure problematic social media users, and stress would make college students more likely to be high-risk problematic social media users than low-risk problematic social media users.

Transdiagnostic brain correlates of self-reported trait impulsivity: A dimensional structure-symptom investigation

Impulsivity transcends psychiatric diagnoses and is often related to anhedonia. This ad hoc cross-sectional investigation explored 1) whether self-reported trait impulsivity mapped onto a common structural brain substrate across healthy controls (HCs) and psychiatric patients, and 2) in a more exploratory fashion, whether impulsivity and anhedonia were related to each other and shared overlapping brain correlates. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) datasets from 234 participants including HCs (n = 109) and patients with opioid use disorder (OUD, n = 22), cocaine use disorder (CUD, n = 43), borderline personality disorder (BPD, n = 45) and schizophrenia (SZ, n = 15) were included. Trait impulsivity was measured with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and anhedonia with a subscore of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). BIS-11 global score data were available for the entire sample, while data on the BIS-11 2nd order factors attentional, motor and non-planning were additionally in hand for a subsample consisting of HCs, OUD and BPD patients (n = 116). Voxel-based morphometry analyses were conducted for identifying dimensional associations between grey matter volume and impulsivity/anhedonia. Partial correlations were further performed to exploratory test the relationships between impulsivity and anhedonia and their corresponding volumetric brain substrates. Volume of the left opercular part of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was negatively related to global impulsivity across the entire sample and specifically to motor impulsivity in the subsample of HCs, OUD and BPD patients. Across patients anhedonia expression was negatively correlated with left putamen volume. Although there was no relationship between global impulsivity and anhedonia across all patients, only across OUD and BPD patients anhedonia was positively associated with attentional impulsivity. Finally, also across OUD and BPD patients, motor impulsivity associated left IFG volume was positively linked with anhedonia-associated volume in the left putamen. Our findings suggest a critical role of left IFG volume in self-reported global impulsivity across healthy participants and patients with substance use disorder, BPD and SZ. Preliminary findings in OUD and BPD patients further suggests associations between impulsivity and anhedonia that are related to grey matter reductions in the left IFG and putamen.

Neuroanatomical Correlates of Emotion-Related Impulsivity

BACKGROUND

Emotion-related impulsivity (ERI) refers to chronically poor self-control during periods of strong emotion. ERI robustly predicts psychiatric disorders and related problems, yet its neuroanatomical correlates are largely unknown. We tested whether local brain morphometry in targeted brain regions that integrate emotion and control could explain ERI severity.

METHODS

One hundred twenty-two adults (ages 18-55 years) with internalizing or externalizing psychopathology completed a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, the Three-Factor Impulsivity Index, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5. The Three-Factor Impulsivity Index measures two types of ERI and a third type of impulsivity not linked to emotion. Cortical reconstruction yielded cortical thickness and local gyrification measurements. We evaluated whether morphometry in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), insula, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens was associated with ERI severity. Hypotheses and analyses were preregistered.

RESULTS

Lower cortical gyrification in the right lateral OFC was associated with high ERI severity in a full, preregistered model. Separate examinations of local gyrification and cortical thickness also showed a positive association between gyrification in the left lateral OFC and ERI. An integrated measure of hemispheric imbalance in lateral OFC gyrification (right < left) correlated with ERI severity. These findings were specific to ERI and did not appear with non-emotion-related impulsivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Local gyrification in the lateral OFC is associated with ERI severity. The current findings fit with existing theories of OFC function, strengthen the connections between the transdiagnostic literature in psychiatry and neuroscience, and may guide future treatment development.

Unraveling the Contribution of Serotonergic Polymorphisms, Prefrontal Alpha Asymmetry, and Individual Alpha Peak Frequency to the Emotion-Related Impulsivity Endophenotype

The unique contribution of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), intronic region 2 (STin2), and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) genes to individual differences in personality traits has been widely explored, and research has shown that certain forms of these polymorphisms relate to impulsivity and impulsivity-related disorders. Humans showing these traits are also described as having an asymmetrical prefrontal cortical activity when compared to others. In this explorative study, we examine the relationship between serotonergic neurotransmission polymorphisms, cortical activity features (prefrontal alpha asymmetry, individual alpha peak frequency [iAPF]), emotion-related and non-emotion-related impulsivity in humans. 5-HTTLPR, MAO-A, and STin2 polymorphisms were assessed in blood taken from 91 participants with high emotion-related impulsivity levels. Sixty-seven participants completed resting electroencephalography and a more comprehensive impulsivity index. In univariate analyses, iAPF correlated with both forms of emotion-related impulsivity. In multiple linear regression models, 5-HTTLPR polymorphism (model 1, adj. R² = 15.2%) and iAPF were significant interacting predictors of emotion-related impulsivity, explaining a large share of the results’ variance (model 2, adj. R² = 21.2%). Carriers of the low transcriptional activity 5-HTTPLR and MAO-A phenotypes obtained higher emotion-related impulsivity scores than others did. No significant results were detected for non-emotion-related impulsivity or for a form of emotion-related impulsivity involving cognitive/motivational reactivity to emotion. Our findings support an endophenotypic approach to impulsivity, showing that tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, iAPF, and their interaction are relevant predictors of one form of emotion-related impulsivity.

Predicting Problem Gambling Severity: Interplay between Emotion Dysregulation and Gambling-related Cognitions

Understanding how emotion regulation and gambling-related cognitive distortions relate to gambling problems has direct relevance for problem gambling prevention and treatment. Although these factors have been identified as robust psychological correlates for problem gambling, the interplay between emotional regulation and cognitive biases in influencing problem gambling behaviours is yet to be fully understood. Accordingly, this study examined the explanatory role of cognitive distortions in the association between emotion regulation difficulties and problem gambling behaviours and also explored the interaction between emotion regulation and cognitive distortions in predicting gambling severity. A total of 301 adults (182 males and 119 females; age range: 18-71 years, M = 32.62, SD = 10.03) completed an online questionnaire comprising measures of emotional regulation difficulties, gambling-related beliefs and problem gambling severity. Analyses revealed that emotion regulation difficulties and erroneous gambling beliefs were positively related to problem gambling severity. Further, cognitive distortions partially accounted for the relationship between emotional regulation difficulties and problem gambling, although emotion regulation retained a direct relationship with problem gambling. There was no interaction between emotional regulation and cognitive distortions. The findings indicate that emotion regulation may serve as a precursor to the development of cognitive distortions, while also directly influencing problem gambling. Implications for assessment and treatment of problem gambling are discussed.

Physical exercise is tied to emotion-related impulsivity: insights from correlational analyses in healthy humans

Seminal work has found a negative association between physical exercise and impulsivity levels in humans. This paper aims to strengthen these findings by evaluating the association between the amount of self-reported physical exercise per week and emotion-related impulsivity whilst considering age and gender as covariates on a large-scale dataset.Participants completed an online self-report questionnaire about emotion-related impulsivity (i.e. Feelings Trigger Action) and exercise-related questions. After quality control, 773 participants were included in the analysis. Correlational analyses and a multiple regression model explaining the emotion-related impulsivity scores via the amount of exercise per week and demographic characteristics (i.e. age and gender) were performed.The number of hours spent exercising per week was significantly inversely correlated with the Feelings Trigger Action score (r = -.131, p < .001) and two out of its three subscales. The multiple linear regression model showed that hours of exercise per week and gender were significantly associated with the Feelings Trigger Action score (std. β = -.122, p < .001), however, this model explained only 3.2% of the overall variance.This large-scale dataset confirms seminal work displaying an inverse association between emotion-related impulsivity and hours of exercise per week. Further studies are required to understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between the two variables. HighlightsThis study (N = 773) confirms seminal work on the connection between exercise and impulsivity.When controlling for demographic variables, the amount of exercise per week was inversely correlated (small effect size) with emotion-related impulsivity levels.In the multiple-regression model, hours of exercise per week and gender were significantly associated with the Feelings Trigger Action score.

Emotion-related impulsivity predicts increased anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

Emotion-related impulsivity, defined by poor constraint in the face of emotion, is related to internalizing symptoms, cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Internalizing symptoms, though, are profoundly tied to stress reactivity, and little is known about how emotion-related impulsivity relates to stress reactivity.

METHOD

Taking advantage of a sample that had completed measures of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and two forms of emotion-related impulsivity before the pandemic, we asked participants to complete three weekly follow-up internalizing assessments early in the pandemic.

RESULTS

Among the 150 participants, pre-pandemic emotion-related impulsivity scores predicted higher depression, anxiety, general distress, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Controlling for pre-pandemic scores, one form of emotion-related impulsivity (Feelings Trigger Action) predicted increased anxiety and general distress. We also examined how pre-pandemic emotion-related impulsivity was moderated by weekly COVID-related stress. One form of emotion-related impulsivity (Pervasive Influence of Feelings) predicted internalizing symptoms at low stress levels, and a different form (Feelings Trigger Action) predicted internalizing symptoms at higher stress levels.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include the small sample size, the absence of repeat measures of impulsivity, the attrition of individuals with more internalizing symptoms, and the reliance on self-rated measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Forms of emotion-related impulsivity predict increases in anxiety and distress over time, but the interactions with stress levels appear to vary. Emotion-related impulsivity can be addressed with accessible intervention tools, suggesting the promise of broader screening for those at risk for internalizing symptoms during periods of high stress.

Emotion-driven problem behaviour: The predictive utility of positive and negative urgency

Impulsive urgency describes the tendency to act rashly when experiencing extreme emotions. This Australian study aimed to investigate the predictive utility of impulsivity, including impulsive urgency (positive and negative), across a range of problem behaviours. Data from two community samples, one retrospective (n = 281) and one current (n = 604), were analysed using hierarchical regression to determine which facets of impulsivity, as assessed with a comprehensive scale (i.e. negative urgency, positive urgency, lack or premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking), best predicted a series of problem behaviours (i.e. problem gambling, disorderly alcohol use, online gambling disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder behaviours, and social media addiction). The impulsive urgency facets were shown to be significant predictors across the behaviours examined. More specifically, negative urgency was the strongest predictor of disorderly alcohol use, obsessive-compulsive disorder behaviours, and social media addiction. Positive urgency was associated with problem gambling and online gambling disorder behaviours. These findings suggest that impulsive urgency is a key contributing factor in many behavioural problems and that the valence of the urgency is an important consideration when addressing a broad range of psychopathologies.

Impulsiveness indirectly affects suicidal ideation through depression and simultaneously moderates the indirect effect: A moderated mediation path model

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the indirect effect of impulsiveness on suicidal ideation through depression and the moderating effect of impulsiveness on the indirect effect in an integrated path model.

METHODS

Self-rating depression scale (SDS), Barratt impulsiveness scale-11th version (BIS-11), and self-rating idea of suicide scale (SIOSS) were applied. A moderated mediation path model was established including impulsiveness, depression, and suicidal ideation as observed variables.

RESULTS

The main results revealed that the moderated mediation path model fit well in describing the relationships among impulsiveness, depression, and suicidal ideation. The indirect effect of impulsiveness mediated by depression and the moderating effect of impulsiveness on suicidal ideation was significant. Multiple comparisons showed that the indirect effects under different conditions of impulsiveness had statistical differences. The higher the impulsiveness was, the stronger the predictive effect of depression on suicidal ideation was.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study confirms that people who have impulsive traits are riskier to generate suicidal thoughts because they are more likely to suffer from depression and that people who are depressive have even higher risk to develop suicidal thoughts when they simultaneously have impulsive traits. In clinical and health care work, when considering depression to prevent suicidal ideation, impulsiveness needs to be monitored throughout the process of premorbid and onset stages of depression.

Momentary dynamics of emotion-based impulsivity: Exploring associations with dispositional measures of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology

Emotion-based impulsivity has emerged as an important transdiagnostic risk factor for both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. However, it is unclear how this dynamic process unfolds within individuals. We measured urgency within-persons as the momentary association between impulsivity and contemporaneous negative and positive affect in 4 ecological momentary assessment samples (N = 233[16,202 observations]; N = 302[11,360]; N = 311[17,517]; N = 291[20,297]) that span clinical, community, and student populations. Based on reflexive responding to emotion (RRE) and urgency frameworks, we hypothesized a) that significant individual differences in the dynamic association between affect and impulsivity would emerge, and b) that individual differences in positive and negative urgency pathways would be associated with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Within-person associations between negative affect and impulsivity consistently emerged; however, the association between positive affect and impulsivity was inconsistent across samples. Although average effects were small, significant individual differences existed in both urgency pathways. Consistent with prior studies, within-person urgency pathways were unassociated with global or dispositional measures of impulsivity. Contrary to expectation, within-person urgency was also unassociated with between-person measures of either internalizing or externalizing psychopathology. Yet, robust associations were seen between the same measures and average levels of momentary impulsivity and negative affect. We discuss results in terms of their relevance to both urgency and RRE frameworks and propose future directions to help disentangle emotion-based impulsivity and psychopathology in the moment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychosocial predictors of substance use in adolescents and young adults: Longitudinal risk and protective factors

Many psychosocial factors have been implicated in the onset and escalation of substance use in adolescence and young adulthood. Typically, each factor explains a small amount of the variance in substance use outcomes, and effects are typically applied across a broad range of ages or computed from cross-sectional data. The current study evaluated the association of factors including social influence (e.g., peer substance use), cognitive features (e.g., alcohol expectancies), and personality and emotional characteristics (e.g., impulsivity and typical responses to stress) in substance use throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood (ages 13-25; N = 798). Mixed-effects models tailored for the accelerated longitudinal design employed in this study were constructed with psychosocial and developmental factors predicting alcohol and cannabis use. As most participants in the sample exhibited little or no substance use at baseline by design, we excluded baseline assessments and examined data from follow-up years 1, 2, 3, and 4. Interactions between age cohort, change in age, and psychosocial predictors of substance use revealed differing associations over the developmental window for alcohol and cannabis use. For example, positive alcohol expectancies and sensation seeking were most strongly associated with greater drinking after age 18, whereas sensation seeking was associated with increased cannabis use as early as age 15. Higher emotion regulation skills led to less cannabis use in younger ages (i.e., shallower slopes below age 17), but this protective effect diminished after age 17. Results highlight developmentally important factors that differentially contribute to substance use in adolescence and young adulthood. We also demonstrate the importance of developmentally sensitive analyses that maximize the value of data from accelerated longitudinal designs.

Alexithymia and Emotion Regulation Strategies in Adolescent Gamblers with and Without At-Risk Profiles

Alexithymia, difficulties in emotion regulation, and negative affect play an important role in adolescents who present pathological gambling. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were, firstly, to analyze the differences between alexithymia, difficulties in emotion regulation, and positive and negative affect in adolescents with and without risk of gambling problems. Secondly, the relationships between all the variables of the study in adolescents with and without risk of problem gambling were analyzed separately. Thirdly, we analyzed the mediating role of positive and negative affect in the relationship between alexithymia and dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies (ERS) in adolescents at risk of gambling problems. The sample was composed of 206 adolescents with ages ranging from 12 to 18 years (M = 15.52; SD = 1.43). They were divided into two groups according to the score obtained in the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA). Thus, 84 were included in the group without risk of gambling problems and 122 in the group at risk of gambling problems. The results obtained revealed higher scores in negative affect and pathological gambling in the group at risk of gambling problems. Likewise, positive relationships between alexithymia, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (MERS), and affect were found. Mediation analyses showed that difficulties in identifying feelings were indirectly related to greater use of dysfunctional ERS through their relationship with negative affect in at-risk gamblers.

Relationships between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Other Maladaptive Behaviors: Beyond Difficulties in Emotion Regulation

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) co-occurs with both other maladaptive behaviors (e.g., aggression) and emotion dysregulation. However, the extent to which these maladaptive behaviors are linked to NSSI independent of emotion dysregulation is unclear. The present study examined relationships between NSSI and six other maladaptive behaviors among university undergraduates. When controlling for demographic variables, emotion dysregulation, and other maladaptive behaviors, binge eating, purging, illicit drug use, and physical aggression were each related to lifetime NSSI history and/or severity. No maladaptive behaviors were significantly related to the presence of current diagnostic-level NSSI in these multivariate analyses. Results suggest that some maladaptive behaviors may relate uniquely to NSSI risk independent of emotion dysregulation, highlighting the importance of considering such behaviors in self-injury assessment and treatment.

A multi-method examination of the link between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and emotion-related impulsivity

OBJECTIVES

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition marked by recurrent and distressing thoughts, images, and urges accompanied by repetitive physical or mental rituals. An emerging line of work suggests that emotion may be an important consideration when looking at the role of impulsivity across the spectrum of psychopathology, including OCD. The current study examined the relationship between obsessive-compulsive symptomatology (OCS) and impulsive cognitive and behavioural reactions to emotion using a multi-study, multi-method approach.

DESIGN

Data were collected cross-sectionally online (Study 1) or via an in-person laboratory visit (Study 2).

METHODS

In Study 1, self-report measures of impulsivity and OCS were administered to a large, non-selected community sample (N = 386). Study 2 extended these findings with a young adult sample (N = 107) with clinically elevated OCS using self-report measures, clinical interview, and two behavioural symptom provocation tasks.

RESULTS

Emotion-related impulsivity, but not non-emotion-related impulsivity, was associated with greater severity of OCS across symptom domains and across all modes of assessment. Impulsive cognitive responses to emotion were associated with greater obsession severity, while impulsive behavioural reactions to emotion were associated with greater compulsions. Emotion-related impulsivity also acted synergistically with a belief in the importance and control of thoughts, such that this established risk factor for OCD was associated with greater OCS severity only when behavioural reactivity to emotion was also present.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the importance of considering emotional context when studying impulsivity in OCD, and point to the potentially differential relationship between OCS and behavioural versus cognitive impulsive reactions to emotion.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

Emotion-related impulsivity (ERI) reflects a tendency to act impulsively in the context of strong emotions. ERI was associated with greater OCS across symptom domains and type of symptom assessment (self-report, interview, or symptom provocation). ERI also interacted with an established OCS risk factor, a belief in the importance and control of thoughts, to predict symptom severity, suggesting that it may be important to evaluate and address ERI alongside unhelpful beliefs in patients with OCS. Given the present study's cross-sectional nature, we cannot draw conclusions about the directionality of the ERI - OCS relationship, and while our study included individuals with clinically elevated OCS, results should be replicated in a fully clinical sample.

Comparing impulsivity in borderline personality, schizophrenia and obsessional-compulsive disorders: Who is ahead?

OBJECTIVE

Impulsivity impacts life domains and in a psychiatric context is often associated with disorders severity and stigmatization. Borderline personality disorder's (BPD), Schizophrenic disorder's (SZD), and obsessional compulsive disorder's (OCD) impulsivity issues relate to worse prognosis. This study aims to compare these disorders assessing their proneness to impulsivity and urgency.

METHODS

We recruited 90 patients among them OCD (n = 25), SZD (n = 23), and BPD (n = 50), and 24 healthy control participants (HC). We assessed the diagnosis according and measured the impulsivity level.

RESULTS

Our results showed that BPD was significantly more impulsive than HC, SZD, and OCD. HC, SZD, and OCD being equivalent on their global Urgency-Premeditation-Perseverance-Sensation seeking scores. For urgency, BPD was also superior to others, OCD was superior to HC, but SZD and HC were equivalent. The urgency was correlated to SZD's scale for SZD, no link appeared between borderline personality questionnaire and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale's score.

CONCLUSION

These results question the existent literature relating impulsivity and SZD.

The German Three Factor Impulsivity Index: Confirmatory factor analysis and ties to demographic and health-related variables

A growing body of research has focused on the differentiation of emotion-related versus non-emotion-related impulsivity, assessed by the Three-Factor Impulsivity (TFI) index. The goal of this study is to develop a German TFI index, and to validate the emotion-related impulsivity subscales against indices of substance abuse, physical or psychological disorder, physical exercise, BMI, and hours of sleep. 395 native-German speakers completed the German TFI index and questions on validity indicators online. Factor analyses supported the three-factor structure, including Pervasive Influence of Feelings, Lack of Follow Through, and Feelings Trigger Action. Correlations between factors were higher than in the original work. Both emotion-related impulsivity subscales correlated significantly with psychological disorder, engagement in and minutes of physical exercise per week. When included in multivariate regression models, the three factors explained 3.1%, and 29.2% of variance in amount of exercise per week and psychological disorder, respectively. In sum, findings indicated that the German TFI index has a robust three-factor structure that showed expected links to validity indicators, and novel effects in relation to physical exercise.

Aggression and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Depressed Youths: The Mediating Effect of Resilience

Background

The global spread of COVID-19 not only exerted an enormous impact on the public in different countries but also aggravated depression among youths. The aggressive tendencies of depressed individuals can harm their body and life and threaten those of others. The aggressive and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors of depressed youths may seriously affect their physical and psychological health if not identified and mediated promptly.

Method

A total of 875 young respondents (including college students, community youths, migrant workers, and so on) from three provinces in China were surveyed in 2020 using a depression scale, non-suicidal self-injury scale, aggression scale, and resilience scale.

Results

Depression, non-suicidal self-injury, and aggression are significantly higher among the members of the depression group compared with the members of the healthy control group (P<0.001), and the resilience of the members of the former group is remarkably lower than that of the members of the latter group (P<0.001). Aggression among the depressed youths exhibits a significant positive correlation with non-suicidal self-injury (r= 0.43, P<0.01), whereas aggression (r= -0.18, P<0.05) and non-suicidal self-injury (r= -0.20, P<0.05) demonstrates significant negative correlations with resilience. The resilience of the youths in the depression group plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between aggression and non-suicidal self-injury.

Conclusion

The more aggressive the behaviors of the depressed youths, the more serious their non-suicidal self-injurious symptoms. Furthermore, resilience plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between aggression and non-suicidal self-injury.

What young people say about impulsivity in the short-term build up to self-harm: A qualitative study using card-sort tasks

Youth who self-harm report high levels of trait impulsivity and identify impulsive behaviour as a proximal factor directly preceding a self-harm act. Yet, impulsivity is a multidimensional construct and distinct impulsivity-related facets relate differentially to self-harm outcomes. Studies have yet to examine if and how a multidimensional account of impulsivity is meaningful to individual experiences and understandings of self-harm in youth. We explored the salience and context of multidimensional impulsivity within narratives of self-harm, and specifically in relation to the short-term build-up to a self-harm episode. Fifteen community-based adolescents (aged 16-22 years) attending Further Education (FE) colleges in the UK took part in individual face-to-face sessions (involving exploratory card-sort tasks and semi-structured interviews) which explored factors relating to self-harm, impulsivity and the broader emotional, developmental and cognitive context. Session data were analysed thematically. Two overarching themes, and associated subthemes, were identified: 'How I respond to strong negative emotions'; and 'Impulse versus deliberation- How much I think through what I'm doing before I do it'. Self-harm was typically a quick, impulsive act in the context of overwhelming emotion, underpinned by cognitive processing deficits. The dynamic tension between emotion-based impulsivity and controlled deliberation was articulated in the immediate moments before self-harm. However, impulsive responses were perceived as modifiable. Where self-harm patterns were established, these related to habitual behaviour and quick go-to responses. Young people identified with a multidimensional conception of impulsivity and described the impulsive context of a self-harm act as dynamic, contextual, and developmentally charged. Findings have implications for youth-focused work. Card-task frameworks are recommended to scaffold and facilitate discussion with young people, particularly where topics are sensitive, complex and multifactorial.

The associative underpinnings of negative urgency and its role in problematic gambling behavior

BACKGROUND

Negative urgency -the tendency to lose control under the influence of strong negative emotions- has been proposed to be a sign of malfunctioning emotion regulation mechanisms, and to contribute to severity and complications of gambling disorder and other externalizing behaviors.

AIMS AND METHOD

This study is aimed at (1) testing whether negative urgency is linked to resistance to extinction in an emotional associative learning task in a sample of 70 participants, 65 of whom were active gamblers (with emotional pictures as unconditioned stimuli, and color patches as conditioned stimuli [CS]); and (b) exploring the link between these two variables (negative urgency and resistance to emotional extinction) and clinical manifestations of gambling (severity and craving). Mixed-effects generalized models were used to analyze trial-by-trial predictive responses during acquisition and extinction for erotic, disgusting, and gambling-related pictures.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Acquisition of CS-elicited responses remained unaffected by negative urgency, whereas extinction was hampered in individuals with high negative urgency, especially for CSs associated with erotic and gambling-related pictures. Moreover, negative urgency predicted higher craving scores, and these predicted more severe gambling-related symptoms. This finding resonates with the well-known involvement of emotion regulation processes in craving control. However, extinction was not independently related to craving. This lacking effect suggests that negative urgency is a broad construct, and although some of its components are directly related to faulty extinction (and generalized emotion dysregulation), such components are not the same negative urgency shares with difficulties of craving control.

Internet Addiction among Young Adult University Students: The Complex Interplay between Family Functioning, Impulsivity, Depression, and Anxiety

International research has underlined that both interpersonal, self-regulation, and comorbid variables can lead to a higher risk of developing internet addiction (IA) among young adults. To date, no studies have explored the interplay between young adults’ family functioning, impulsivity, and psychopathological difficulties. In a community sample of 244 young adult university students, this study aims to assess the relationship between young adults’ IA and young adults’ gender, the perception of their family functioning, impulsivity level, and depressive and anxiety symptoms, considering the possible interplay between these variables. The presence and the severity of IA were addressed through the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Moreover, young adults filled out self-reporting questionnaires, assessing their perception of family functioning and their impulsivity levels and psychopathological symptoms. Results showed no significant association between the youth’s gender and IA. However, moderately addicted young adults were more likely to report poorer quality of family affective involvement and higher attentional impulsivity and depressive problems than other groups. Moreover, young adults’ attentional impulsivity mediated the relationship between family affective involvement and IA. This study provides new evidence on the complex interaction between individuals and interpersonal risk factors involved in IA among young adults, with important implications for the planning of intervention treatments.

Does Emotion Regulation Predict Gains in Exercise-Induced Fitness? A Prospective Mixed-Effects Study with Elite Helicopter Pilots

Emotion regulation (ER) is a strong predictor of different aspects of mental health and wellbeing. However, only recently has ER been examined in relation to physical activity and its effects on fitness. In the present study, 26 elite helicopter pilots, serving in the Spanish Air Force, were physically trained for 6 months, and their level of fitness (maximum oxygen consumption and time to exhaustion in a treadmill-running test) was assessed before and after that period. Additionally, two indices of emotion regulation (general adaptiveness of ER strategies, as measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and negative urgency, as measured by the UPPS-P questionnaire) measured at baseline were used as prospective predictors of fitness improvement. After controlling for individual features, baseline fitness, and type of training, better emotion regulation strategies (more cognitive reappraisal plus less expressive suppression) predicted larger fitness gains (p = 0.028). Incidental emotion regulation, as measured by the negative urgency index, failed to predict pre–post-fitness changes (p = 0.734). These results suggest that fostering emotion regulation skills may improve the effectiveness of fitness training programs.

Impulsive Responses to Positive and Negative Emotions: Parallel Neurocognitive Correlates and Their Implications

Theory about the conceptual basis of psychiatric disorders has long emphasized negative emotionality. More recent ideas emphasize roles for positive emotionality and impulsivity as well. This review examines impulsive responses to positive and negative emotions, which have been labeled as urgency. Urgency is conceptually and empirically distinct from other forms of impulsivity. A large body of work indicates that urgency is more robustly related to psychopathology than are other forms of impulsivity. Researchers have considered 4 neurocognitive models of urgency: excessive emotion generation, poor emotion regulation, risky decision making, and poor cognitive control. Little evidence supports emotion generation or risky decision making as the core issues driving urgency. Rather, urgency appears related to dysfunction in key hubs implicated in the integration of cognitive control and emotion regulation (e.g., the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior insula), expressed as response inhibition deficits that emerge most robustly in high arousal contexts. These neurocognitive processes appear remarkably parallel for positive and negative urgency. We provide methodological suggestions and theoretical hypotheses to guide future research.

Affect-driven impulsivity impairs human action control and selection, as measured through Pavlovian instrumental transfer and outcome devaluation

Two experiments were designed to study the role of emotional impulsiveness in action control and selection, involving healthy young women participants. In Experiment 1, the effects of both outcome devaluation and Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) were assessed on instrumental responding. In Experiment 2, we further explored the effect of outcome devaluation on outcome-specific PIT. The role of emotional impulsivity, specifically negative urgency (NU), was also evaluated in both experiments using a self-reported measure (UPPS-P scale, Spanish short version). Experiment 1 showed both outcome devaluation and outcome-specific PIT effects, which were positively inter-correlated and negatively correlated with scores in NU. Experiment 2 found an effect of outcome devaluation on outcome-specific PIT, which was negatively correlated with scores on NU. These results highlight the relevance of considering individual differences in affect-driven impulsivity, specifically NU, when addressing failures in action control and selection (proneness to habit). Moreover, these findings suggest that, at least with the procedure used in these experiments, outcome-specific PIT may be based on a goal-directed process that is under the participant's control.

The paradoxical relationship between emotion regulation and gambling-related cognitive biases

Background

Gambling behavior presents substantial individual variability regarding its severity, manifestations, and psychological correlates. Specifically, differences in emotion regulation, impulsivity, and cognitive distortions have been identified as crucial to describe individual profiles with implications for the prevention, prognosis, and treatment of gambling disorder (GD).

Aims and method

The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations of gambling-related cognitions (measured according to the GRCS model) with impulsivity (UPPS-P model) and emotion regulation (CERQ model), in a sample of 246 gamblers with different levels of gambling involvement, using mixed-effects modelling to isolate theoretically relevant associations while controlling for the potentially confounding effects of sociodemographic and clinical covariates.

Results

Affective/motivational dimensions of UPPS-P impulsivity positive urgency and sensation seeking, on the one hand, and CERQ emotion regulation strategies reappraisal, rumination and blaming others, on the other, independently and significantly predicted distorted gambling-related cognitions.

Conclusions

These results (a) reinforce the ones of previous studies stressing the relevance of emotional and motivational processes in the emergence of gambling-related cognitive distortions; and (b) replicate the seemingly paradoxical finding that gamblers use emotion regulation strategies customarily considered as adaptive (i.e. reappraisal) to strengthen and justify their biased beliefs about gambling outcomes and controllability.

Testing Cold and Hot Cognitive Control as Moderators of a Network of Comorbid Psychopathology Symptoms in Adolescence

Comorbidity is pervasive across psychopathological symptoms, diagnoses, and domains. Network analysis is a method for investigating symptom-level associations that underlie comorbidity, particularly through bridge symptoms connecting diagnostic syndromes. We applied network analyses of comorbidity to data from a population-based sample of adolescents (n = 849). We implemented a method for assessing nonparametric moderation of psychopathology networks to evaluate differences in network structure across levels of intelligence and emotional control. Symptoms generally clustered by clinical diagnoses, but specific between-cluster bridge connections emerged. Internalizing symptoms demonstrated unique connections with aggression symptoms of interpersonal irritability, whereas externalizing symptoms showed more diffuse interconnections. Aggression symptoms identified as bridge nodes in the cross-sectional network were enriched for longitudinal associations with internalizing symptoms. Cross-domain connections did not significantly vary across intelligence but were weaker at lower emotional control. Our findings highlight transdiagnostic symptom relationships that may underlie co-occurrence of clinical diagnoses or higher-order factors of psychopathology.

Multidimensional assessment of impulsivity-related measures in relation to externalizing behaviors

BACKGROUND

Trait impulsivity is thought to play a key role in predicting behaviors on the externalizing spectrum, such as drug and alcohol use and aggression. Research suggests that impulsivity may not be a unitary construct, but rather multidimensional in nature with dimensions varying across self-report assessments and laboratory behavioral tasks. Few studies with large samples have included a range of impulsivity-related measures and assessed several externalizing behaviors to clarify the predictive validity of these assessments on important life outcomes.

METHODS

Community adults (N = 1295) between the ages of 30 and 54 completed a multidimensional assessment of impulsivity-related traits (including 54 self-report scales of personality traits implicated in impulsive behaviors, and four behavioral tasks purporting to assess a construct similar to impulsivity) and reported on five externalizing behavioral outcomes (i.e. drug, alcohol, and cigarette use, and physical and verbal aggression). We ran an exploratory factor analysis on the trait scales, and then a structural equation model predicting the externalizing behaviors from the three higher-order personality factors (i.e. Disinhibition v. Constraint/Conscientiousness, Neuroticism/Negative Emotionality, and Extraversion/Positive Emotionality) and the four behavioral tasks.

RESULTS

Relations between the self-report factors and behavioral tasks were small or nonexistent. Associations between the self-report factors and the externalizing outcomes were generally medium to large, but relationships between the behavioral tasks and externalizing outcomes were either nonexistent or small.

CONCLUSIONS

These results partially replicate and extend recent meta-analytic findings reported by Sharma et al. (2014) to further clarify the predictive validity of impulsivity-related trait scales and laboratory behavioral tasks on externalizing behaviors.

Predictive Validity of the Three-Factor Model of Impulsivity for Risky Behaviors

Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct particularly relevant for understanding a wide variety of behaviors, especially risky behaviors. A recent conceptualization of impulsivity identifies three impulsivity factors-pervasive influence of feelings, feelings trigger action, and lack of follow-through-that have been shown to predict different behaviors. In this contribution, we examine the psychometric properties of an Italian version of such a three-factor model on a relatively large sample (N = 845). Moreover, on a subsample (n = 766) we determined whether specific dimensions of impulsivity are related to a series of risky behaviors, assessed 3 weeks later, by testing the predictive validity of the multidimensional inventory also in comparison with a standard measure of personality (HEXACO). An exploratory structural equation model confirmed the original 3-dimension structure and showed that the Italian adaptation has satisfactory psychometric properties. Convergent validity with the HEXACO dimensions was established. Furthermore, only the factors feelings trigger action and lack of follow-through, not pervasive influence of feelings, predicted risky behaviors. Findings provide a clear support to the 3-factor model of impulsivity and demonstrate its usefulness for a better comprehension of risky behaviors.

Toward a Functional View of the P Factor in Psychopathology

Evidence indicates the existence of a superordinate factor of general psychopathology, which has been termed p. Among the issues raised by this discovery is whether this factor has substantive meaning or not. This article suggests a functional interpretation of the p factor, based in part on a family of dual process models, in which an associative system and a deliberative system compete for influence over action. The associative system is frequently said to be impulsively responsive to emotions. We hypothesize that this impulsive responsivity to emotion underlies the p factor. One benefit of this view is to use the same underlying process variable to account for both internalizing and externalizing vulnerabilities, as well as aspects of thought disorder. Evidence is reviewed linking impulsive reactivity to emotion to the p factor, and (separately) to internalizing, externalizing, and thought-disorder symptoms. Alternative interpretations are considered.