Emotion regulation and motives for illicit drug use in opioid-dependent patients

ABSTRACT

Refining the mechanisms behind illicit drug use is an important factor for improving the quality of clinical care. Research in alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine use disorders have linked coping motives (e.g. using substances to ameliorate negative emotional states) to problematic substance use. We evaluated the link between emotion regulation difficulties (as assessed via the difficulties in emotion regulation scale [DERS]) and motives for drug use (as assessed via the Drug Use Motives Questionnaire) among individuals (n = 68) with opioid use disorders who were in methadone maintenance treatment. We found that the DERS total score was significantly associated with coping motives for use. Nonacceptance of emotional responses was the only DERS domain that offered nonredundant prediction of coping motives. These findings highlight the relevance of specific emotion regulation deficits in motives for illicit drug use among individuals with opioid use disorders and may help inform targeted cognitive-behavioral treatments in this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Opioid dependence
• coping motives
• emotion regulation
• difficulties in emotion regulation scale

Disclosure statement

Ms. Gold receives research support from the National Institute of Mental Health [F31MH116557]. Dr. Stathopoulou has no competing interests to report. Dr. Otto has received, in the last two years, speaker support from Big Health. He also receives royalties from multiple publishers and research support from NIMH and NIDA.

Additional information

Funding

Aspects of this work were supported by a Clara Mayo Memorial Award at Boston University to Dr Stathopoulou, and NIDA [R01 DA017904] to Dr Otto. The NIH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.