Emotional Dysregulation, Anxiety Symptoms and Insomnia in Individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder

Dorota Wołyńczyk-Gmaj, Andrzej Jakubczyk, Elisa M. Trucco, Paweł Kobyliński, Justyna Zaorska, Bartłomiej Gmaj and Maciej Kopera
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Dorota Wołyńczyk-Gmaj: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
Andrzej Jakubczyk: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
Elisa M. Trucco: Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Paweł Kobyliński: Laboratory of Interactive Technologies, National Information Processing Institute, 00-608 Warsaw, Poland
Justyna Zaorska: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
Bartłomiej Gmaj: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
Maciej Kopera: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: Alcohol craving is associated with insomnia symptoms, and insomnia is often reported as a reason for alcohol relapse. The current study examined associations between emotional regulation, anxiety, and insomnia among a group of 338 patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Because insomnia most often develops after stressful experiences, it was expected that anxiety symptoms would mediate the association between emotional dysregulation and insomnia severity. It was also expected that an insomnia diagnosis would moderate the association between emotional dysregulation and anxiety symptoms, namely that higher anxiety levels would be found in individuals with insomnia than in those without insomnia. Insomnia severity was assessed with a total score based on the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Additionally, an eight-point cut-off score on the AIS was used to classify participants as with ( n = 107) or without ( n = 231) an insomnia diagnosis. Moreover, participants completed the Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; total score) and the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI; anxiety). Individuals with insomnia did not differ from those without insomnia in age ( p = 0.86), duration of problematic alcohol use ( p < 0.34), mean days of abstinence ( p = 0.17), nor years of education ( p = 0.41). Yet, individuals with insomnia endorsed higher anxiety ( p < 0.001) and higher emotional dysregulation ( p < 0.001). Anxiety symptoms fully mediated the association between emotional dysregulation and insomnia severity ( p < 0.001). Furthermore, insomnia diagnosis positively moderated the association between emotional dysregulation and anxiety ( p < 0.001). Our results suggest that emotional dysregulation can lead to insomnia via anxiety symptoms. Treating anxiety symptoms and emotional dysregulation could help to prevent or alleviate symptoms of insomnia in people with AUD. Moreover, treating insomnia in people with AUD may also have a positive effect on anxiety symptoms.

Keywords: anxiety; insomnia; alcohol use disorder; emotional dysregulation; emotions; alcohol dependence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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