Emotion recognition as a marker of emotional regulation deficits in substance use disorder: Review of current research

Abstract

Current theoretical models of addictive disorders view addictive behaviour as a way to prevent or avoid a negative emotional state. The mechanisms of emotional regulation mediate the effect of stressors on human behaviour, allowing the formation of more or less adaptive behavioural patterns. Deficits of emotional regulation are described in many substance abuse disorders and are seen as a multifaceted construct that includes lack of awareness, comprehension, and acceptance of emotions, inability to control behaviour during emotional experiences, lack of access to adaptive strategies to change the duration or intensity of negative emotional experiences, and unwillingness to experience emotional stress. The recognition of emotions by facial expression is extremely important for the ability to form and maintain a social relationship because it allows you to quickly (automatically) decode the emotional state of another person and adapt your behaviour relative to these social cues. The fundamental question of the relationship between the mechanisms of regulation of one’s emotions and recognition of other people’s emotions by facial expression remains insufficiently studied at the moment. This article aims to present relevant research in the field of studying disorders of emotional regulation and recognition of emotions in substance use disorder, and to determine the relationship between these phenomena with a further assessment of the significance for the prediction and therapy of addictions.