Lability and impulsivity synergistically increase risk for alcohol-related problems.

This study examined two aspects of affect dysregulation as risk factors for alcohol-related problems. From a sample of 592 undergraduates, 442 alcohol users were examined on measures of impulsivity, lability, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. As expected, affect lability and impulsivity significantly increased risk for alcohol problems even after controlling for gender and lifetime-use frequency. Impulsivity was further examined as a vulnerability factor, potentially enhancing the relations between use frequency and problems and affect lability and problems. Impulsivity did not moderate the use frequency-problems relationship. However, the relationship between affect lability and problems was greatest among participants with higher degrees of impulsivity. The results demonstrate that individual differences in affect dysregulation are associated with alcohol-related problems in young adults.