# Emotion Regulation Interventions for Preventing Collegiate Escalations in Drinking: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Establish Acceptability, Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2021 · $231,438

## Abstract

In the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH; Lipari & Jean-Francois, 2016), college-
aged respondents between 18 and 25 years old reported the highest alcohol use rates (over 58%) as well as
the highest rates of binge drinking of any age group. High alcohol use/abuse in college students is associated
with myriad negative consequences, including fatal and nonfatal injuries and overdoses, impaired academic
and vocational performance, violence and other crime, legal problems, unintended pregnancies
and sexually transmitted diseases, and social problems. The National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) underscores
that use initiated in this period is not just experimental and recreational but may have lasting effects on
consumption trajectories: For the majority of adults diagnosed alcohol use disorders, onset occurred during
emerging adulthood. During this stage of development, vast changes in emotion regulation (ER) take place,
particularly age-related shifts in the strategies used to manage distress that may lead to alcohol use/abuse
(i.e., emotion suppression, inhibitory control, and cognitive reappraisal. Substantial evidence suggests that
deficits in ER are strongly related to patterns of alcohol use in young adults. In particular, deficits in the self-
regulation of discomfort and distress, called distress tolerance, predict alcohol use – specifically, motivation
and urgency for use, escalations in consumption, and the development of dependence that may be indicative
of alcohol use disorders. Emerging adults who turn to alcohol as a way of coping with distressing emotions are
most at risk for heavy alcohol use into adulthood and more severe negative alcohol consequences. Given the
variable effectiveness of existing approaches for reducing college students' alcohol use, we contend
that interventions may be differentially effective depending on individual characteristics. In particular, students
with difficulties in managing distress and discomfort may benefit from more intensive interventions that promote
effective ER compared to treatment as usual; further, other background characteristics may predict the efficacy
and acceptability of each type of ER intervention. In this R34 application (PA-18-775), we will test the
acceptability/feasibility and preliminary efficacy of two complementary interventions (Yoga and Distress
Tolerance) on preventing alcohol use in a randomized controlled trial of 180 high-risk college students relative
to treatment as usual. We will assess participants' alcohol use (self-report and biomarker measures) and
emotion regulation (ER) at baseline along with physiological discomfort sensitivity and psychosocial predictors
of treatment efficacy over time, including a post-treatment follow-up. Our approach is innovative
in examining the utility of different types of ER-oriented interventions for high risk young adults and includes
innovative measurement components. The project is highly suited for the R34 mechanis...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10229549
- **Project number:** 5R34AA027455-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL FENDRICH
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $231,438
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-25 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10229549

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10229549, Emotion Regulation Interventions for Preventing Collegiate Escalations in Drinking: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Establish Acceptability, Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy (5R34AA027455-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10229549. Licensed CC0.

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