Retrospective Reports of Parental Problem Drinking and Parent Reactions to Child Negative Emotions: Implications for Emotion Regulation in the Transition to Adulthood

Exposure to parental problem drinking (PPD)—symptoms of alcohol use disorder, heavy and hazardous drinking—is associated with mental health problems in emerging adults, but mechanisms of risk are not fully explicated. The current study explores the role of parental emotion socialization, a key factor in the development of emotion regulation, in the context of PPD. A sample of 377 U.S. college students reported retrospectively on PPD, parent reactions to participant negative emotions, and participants’ own current depressive and anger rumination. Both mother and father PPD were related to greater same-parent minimization, distress and punitive reactions, and less problem-focused, emotion-focused, and encouragement of expression of negative emotions. Supportive and nonsupportive parental reactions to negative emotions intervened in associations between PPD and emerging adult depressive and anger rumination. Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation may be a key mechanism of risk for mental health problems among emerging adults exposed to PPD.