The association between emotion regulation indices and sensitivity to experimentally induced compulsivity and craving states

Abstract

Background: Addiction models highlight the impact of craving in driving compulsive behaviors. Craving states, which are inherently emotional, can be modulated by both incidental and intentional emotion regulation mechanisms. The former operate pre-consciously, while the latter operate during conscious craving stages. Method: Craving is experimentally induced here through an audio-guided protocol. We aim to involve 70 intensive gamblers and 70 intensive video gamers, all showing signs of risky gambling/gaming below the clinical cutoff. State compulsivity and craving levels are evaluated pre- and post-induction. Baseline assessments include emotional impulsivity (urgency scales), emotion regulation strategies (ERQ), severity measures, behavioral patterns, and sociodemographic data. Postinduction, participants' declarative reasons for craving increase, if any, are also recorded.
Expected Results: Building on previous research, we propose the following hypotheses: (a) Measures of craving and state compulsivity will largely overlap with each other. (b) Gamblers will experience stronger induced craving and state compulsivity than video gamers. (c) Induction sensitivity will be higher among participants with higher emotional impulsivity, regardless of group. (d) Intentional emotion regulation strategies are not expected to have a significant impact on craving induction sensitivity. Additionally, (e) the hypotheses regarding the reasons behind the increase in craving remain open. Conclusions: Confirming these hypotheses would underscore craving's role in compulsive behaviors and clarify the
distinct impacts of incidental and intentional emotion regulation on craving management. Furthermore, the study aims to differentiate the roles of state compulsivity and craving in problematic behaviors across the gaming and gambling domains.

Full text

The association
between emotion
regulation indices
and sensitivity to
experimentally
induced craving
state
Jose López-Guerrero / Juan F. Navas /
Francisco J. Rivero / Ismael Muela /
José C. Perales

COI statement
Grant PID2020-116535GB-I00.
JLG's work is supported by and individual
research grant (PRE2021-100665) funded by
MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by
“ESF+”.
All authors involved in the current study do not currently receive, nor have they received,
funding from any private company with direct or indirect interests in the activities discussed
here. José López-Guerrero previously worked for a harm-reduction non-profit organization
(Energy Control). All research conducted by the authors at present is funded by the Spanish
Government.

Background
•Compulsivity in behavioral
addictions.
•Craving plays a key role in
gambling and gaming
disorders.

The affective nature of craving
Internal and
situational
triggers
Craving Problematic
behavior
Pre-appraisal (incidental) regulation: Associative processes (e.g.
context-dependent extinction, generalization by similarity) that take
place before being fully aware of the emotion
Post-appraisal (intentional) regulation: Strategic processes (e.g.
reappraisal, suppression, refocusing, non-judgmental acceptance) that
take place after the emotion has become conscious and are used to deal
with it

Rationale and
research
question
Previous research has assessed craving
mainly by retrospective self-report of
craving episodes.
Are there differences in the
manifestation of an experimentally
induced state of compulsivity in two
populations (gamblers and video game
players) at sub-clinical risk?
Induction of a craving state using an
audio-guided procedure inspired by
Cornil et al. (2019), in order to assess
its sensitivity to emotion regulation
traits and processes.

Methods
•Pre-registered study.
•Power analysis.
•Recruitment.
•Inclusion criteria: Monthly or more frequent gambling
during the last year, no diagnosed mental disorders,
over 18 years, Spanish proficiency, severity (checked via
GD9/IGD9 DSM-based scales) in the 1-3 range for
gambling, and the 1-4 range for gaming.

Methods
Instruments administred via Limesurvey
1. GRACC
-6-Pre
9.
ERQ
2.
VAS-Pre
10. Psi
-Q
3.
Sociodemographic data
11.
Gambling/gaming motives
4.
Gambling/gaming frequency
12.
Preferred modality
5.
TECVASP
13.
Audio
6. PANAS
14. GRACC
-6-Post
7.
S-UPPS-P
15.
VAS-Post
8. GRACC
-18
16.
Perceived reasons for the increase

Methods
•VAS-Pre
•Impulsivity
•ERQ
Personalized audio
•VAS-Post
•Perceived reasons
for the increase:
fun, coping and
automatic

Results.
Demographics
Gamblers Video-
game
players
N51 69
Age 23.6 24.3
% Female 54.9 46.4

Results.
Manipulation check
p < .001; η2= 0.423

Results.
Hypothesis 1
H1: The induction of craving will
be more effective in gamblers
than in video game players.

Results.
Hypothesis 2
•H2: There are factors that
modulate the intensity of
craving.
Sensitivity = VAS post –VAS pre
p = 0.019; η2 = 0.045

Results.
Hypothesis 2

Results.
Hypothesis 2

Discussion
•The procedure works!
•Higher levels of pre-induction perceived
craving in gamers. However, no differences
between groups in the efficacy of induction.
•The role of Positive Urgency.
•As expected, no role of intentional emotion
regulation.

Many thanks for your attention