Pregaming and Emotion Regulation’s Relationship to Alcohol Problems in College Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACTBackground: Pregaming is a high-risk drinking behavior associated with increased alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. Quantity of alcohol consumed does not fully explain the level of problems associated with pregaming; yet, limited research has examined factors that may interact with pregaming behavior to contribute to the experience of alcohol-related problems. Objectives: The current study examined whether use of two emotion regulation strategies influence pregaming’s contribution to alcohol-related problems. Methods: Undergraduates (N = 1857) aged 18–25 years attending 19 different colleges completed an online survey in 2008–2009. Linear mixed models were used to test whether emotion regulation strategies moderate the association between pregaming status (pregamers vs. non/infrequent pregamers) and alcohol-related problems, when controlling for alcohol consumption, demographic covariates, and site as a random effect. Results: Greater use of cognitive reappraisal was associated with...