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The Relationship Between Emotion Dysregulation and Deliberate Self-Harm Among Inpatients with Substance Use Disorders

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Abstract

Despite the emphasis on the role of emotion dysregulation in deliberate self-harm (DSH), no studies have examined this association among patients with substance use disorders (SUD). This study examined if emotion dysregulation is heightened among SUD inpatients with (vs. without) DSH, and if the association between DSH and emotion dysregulation remains significant when controlling for their shared association with risk factors for both, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), childhood abuse, and substance use severity. Findings indicate heightened emotion dysregulation among SUD patients with (vs. without) DSH, and provide evidence of a unique association between emotion dysregulation and DSH when controlling for BPD, PTSD, childhood abuse, and substance use severity. Findings also highlight the particular relevance of three dimensions of emotion dysregulation to DSH among SUD patients: limited access to effective emotion regulation strategies, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behaviors when distressed, and emotional nonacceptance.

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Notes

  1. Given both our relatively small sample size and the small number of planned, hypothesis-driven comparisons examined in this study, an alpha correction was not applied to our analyses (for further discussion of the rationale for not applying an alpha adjustment when conducting planned comparisons or hypothesis-driven analyses, see Keppel and Zedeck 1989; Perneger 1998; for further discussion of the problems associated with utilizing an alpha adjustment when conducting comparisons within a small sample, see Tutzauer 2003). In support of this decision, the number of outcomes that emerged as significant (57%) far exceeded what would be expected by chance given the number of analyses conducted (30%; Sankoh et al. 1997).

  2. Results of these analyses did not change when examining only SUD patients with recent DSH. Specifically, findings indicate that SUD patients with recent DSH reported higher levels of emotion dysregulation than SUD patients without DSH (controlling for other relevant variables), F (1, 45) = 4.02, p = .05, η 2 p  = .08.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by R03 DA023001 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, awarded to the second author.

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  1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA

    Kim L. Gratz & Matthew T. Tull

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Gratz, K.L., Tull, M.T. The Relationship Between Emotion Dysregulation and Deliberate Self-Harm Among Inpatients with Substance Use Disorders. Cogn Ther Res 34, 544–553 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-009-9268-4

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