Objective: Hazardous drinking is a prevalent form of alcohol misuse. Past research has examined emotion regulation difficulties as a risk factor for hazardous drinking; however, the majority of prior studies have focused on regulation of negative emotions. Recent work has implicated difficulties regulating positive emotions in relation to alcohol misuse, yet, it is largely unknown if difficulties regulating positive emotions are significantly related to alcohol misuse outcomes after accounting for difficulties regulating negative emotions. Method: A racially diverse sample of hazardous drinkers were recruited from a university setting (75% female, M_age = 22.1, SD_age = 4.0) to participate in a treatment study. Data from baseline was used in the current study. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate relations between difficulties regulating positive and negative emotions and alcohol problems both directly and indirectly via coping motives. Results: After controlling for sex, age, and levels of negative and positive affect, positive but not negative emotion regulation difficulties were significantly associated with alcohol problems. Difficulties regulating emotions (both positive and negative), were significantly related to coping motives; each valence of difficulty was also indirectly related to alcohol problems via drinking to cope. Conclusions: Difficulties regulating emotions – both positive and negative – carry a heightened risk of engaging in coping-oriented alcohol use during drinking episodes and this maladaptive means of self-regulation may explain a common pathway to experiencing alcohol-related problems. Notably, difficulties regulating positive emotions appear to offer incremental, explanatory value over and above difficulties regulating negative emotions. Such findings offer important clinical and theoretical implications.

目的：危险饮酒是酒精滥用的一种普遍形式。过去的研究已经将情绪调节困难作为危险饮酒的危险因素进行了研究；然而，大多数先前的研究都集中在负面情绪的调节上。最近的研究表明，调节与酒精滥用相关的积极情绪存在困难，然而，在考虑了调节负面情绪的困难之后，调节积极情绪的困难是否与酒精滥用结果显着相关尚不清楚。方法：从大学环境中招募了一个种族多样化的危险饮酒者样本（75% 女性，M_年龄 = 22.1，SD_年龄 = 4.0) 参加治疗研究。本研究使用了基线数据。结构方程模型用于通过应对动机直接和间接地评估调节积极和消极情绪的困难与酒精问题之间的关系。结果：在控制了性别、年龄以及消极和积极影响的水平后，积极而非消极的情绪调节困难与酒精问题显着相关。调节情绪（正面和负面）的困难与应对动机显着相关；每个难度的价数也与通过饮酒应对的酒精问题间接相关。结论：调节情绪的困难——无论是积极的还是消极的——都会增加在饮酒期间进行以应对为导向的饮酒的风险，这种自我调节的适应不良方式可能解释了经历与酒精相关的问题的常见途径。值得注意的是，调节积极情绪的困难似乎比调节消极情绪的困难提供了增量的解释价值。这些发现提供了重要的临床和理论意义。