Date of Graduation

5-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Ham, Lindsay

Committee Member/Reader

Eidelman, Scott

Committee Member/Second Reader

Stewart, Patrick

Abstract

Negative urgency is defined as the disposition to act rashly when under distress. This personality subtype is strongly tied to problematic alcohol and substance use, self-harming behaviors, and binge eating following a distressful period (Cyders et al., 2013; Fischer et al., 2004). The current study hypothesized that participants (62.07% Female, M = 19.81, SD = 4.16, 73.28% White, 6.90% Hispanic, 6.90% African American, 3.45% Native American/Alaskan Native, 3.45% Asian American, 3.45% Middle Eastern, 1.72% Other) who scored high in negative urgency would endorse more maladaptive coping strategies after a negative mood induction (n = 57), compared to a neutral mood induction (n = 59). Specifically, analyses examined differences in endorsement of alcohol, marijuana, and self-harm and binge eating cravings between conditions. Results from a series of simple linear regressions offered no support for the hypothesis. The endorsement of alcohol, marijuana, self-harming, and binge eating cravings did not significantly differ between conditions. These results suggest maladaptive cravings are more nuanced in high negative urgency populations. More research is needed to further explore the potentially important relationship between negative urgency and desire to utilize maladaptive coping methods.

Keywords

Urgency; Maladaptive; Coping; Personality

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