Lower Emotion Regulation Competencies Mediate the Association between Impulsivity and Craving during Alcohol Withdrawal Treatment

Abstract

There is evidence that craving mediates the relationship between Impulsive Personality Traits (IPTs) and relapse during the treatment of an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). To provide tailored interventions, a deeper understanding of the relation between IPTs and craving, namely mediating processes, is important. Based on previous literature, we proposed that lower emotion regulation competencies mediate the relation between attentional as well as non-planning IPTs and craving. To investigate these interrelations, we used data from the baseline assessment (n = 320) of the SmartAssistEntz project (pre-registered in the German Clinical Trials Register [DRKS00017700]). Inpatients with a primary AUD diagnosis were interviewed using standardized self-report measures (IPTs: BIS-15, emotion regulation competencies: ERSQ, craving: OCDS-G short version) during their withdrawal treatment. Indirect effects were calculated using the SPSS macro PROCESS v3.5. Attentional as well as non-planning, but not motor, IPTs were associated with craving. Emotion regulation competencies mediated the relationship between attentional as well as non-planning IPTs and craving. Given their mediating role in the present study, it is interesting to investigate if addressing emotion regulation competencies can mitigate the negative influences of attentional and non-planning IPTs. The direct effect of attentional IPTs implicates alternate mediating processes, which should also be investigated in future research.

Keywords:

• Motor
• attentional
• non-planning
• alcohol use disorder
• AUD
• indirect
• withdrawal treatment
• impulse control

Acknowledgements

For their support in recruiting the study participants, we also thank (alphabetically according to second name) Nina Behle (LMU-Klinikum in Munich, Germany), Cyril Counot (Bezirkskrankenhaus Lohr in Lohr am Main, Germany), Laura Hager (LMU-Klinikum in Munich, Germany), Nicola Horn (Frankenalb-Klinik Engelthal in Engethal, Germany), Fabian Jakobi (Bezirksklinikum Ansbach in Ansbach, Germany), Stefan Koschmieder (Bezirkskrankenhaus Lohr in Lohr am Main, Germany), Ann-Kathrin Neukirch (Bezirksklinikum Ansbach in Ansbach, Germany), and Melanie Rudolph (Bezirksklinikum Ansbach in Ansbach, Germany).

For their support in the project design and contribution to the project, we alphabetically thank AOK Bayern, Bahn BKK – Bahn Betriebskrankenkasse, Department of Psychology of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, mentalis GmbH, SBK – Siemens-Betriebskrankenkasse.

Responsible ethics commission

Ethics Commission of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (ethical trial number: 193_19 B)

Declaration of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions (the main trial is still in progress). The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author by the end of the main trial.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Innovation Fund of The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) [01NVF18025].

The funding source had no involvement in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the article for publication.