The investigation of the mediator role of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity in the relationship of traumatic life events and alcohol/ substance use in university students

This study aimed to investigate madiator roles of impulsivity and emotion dysregulation in university students between the level of post trumatic stres symptoms after being exposed to a traumatic event and level of alcohol and substance use. The sample consisted 256 students from different universities. Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Drug Use Disorders Identification Test and Sociodemogrofic Form were applied to the sample. In the mediator analysis, the level of post traumatic stres symptoms predicts the level of alcohol and substance use, impulsivity and emotion dysregulation. Also, impulsivity was found to be an mediator in the relation of post traumatic stres symptoms and the level of both alcohol and substance use in a positive direction. However, emotion dysregulation was not found to be an mediator in the relation of post traumatic stres sympotms and alcohol use, whereas it was found to be a mediator for substance use level in a negative direction. At the end of the study, results were discussed in the light of the related literature.