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Distress Tolerance As A Mechanism Linking Violence Exposure To Problematic Alcohol Use In Adolescence, Charlotte Heleniak, China R. Bolden, Connor J. Mccabe, Hilary K. Lambert, Maya L. Rosen, Kevin M. King, Kathryn C. Monahan, Katie A. Mclaughlin

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

Adolescents exposed to violence are at elevated risk of developing most forms of psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. Prior research has identified emotional reactivity and difficulties with emotion regulation as core mechanisms linking violence exposure with psychopathology. Scant research has examined behavioral responses to distress as a mechanism in this association. This study examined the association of violence exposure with distress tolerance—the ability to persist in the face of distress—and whether lower distress tolerance linked violence exposure with subsequent increases in depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse problems during adolescence. Data were collected prospectively in a sample of 287 …