Behavior regulation and mood predict social functioning among healthy young adults.

Impulsive behavior is thought to lead to both positive and negative psychosocial outcomes. However, little is known about the potential consequences of subclinical expressions of behavior dysregulation on everyday functioning. To examine this relationship, global social functioning was measured in 89 healthy, young adults who also completed the Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test, Color-Word Interference Test, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, 11th Edition, and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Adult. Better self-reported executive functioning and mood were significant independent predictors of higher social functioning, even in a sample of healthy adults. The results of this study may serve as a foundation for comparison with clinical populations who demonstrate greater behavior dysregulation and mood instability.