Examining the role of attentional control in terms of specific emotion regulation difficulties

Despite the fact that attentional control is often used as an emotion regulation strategy, empirical research has yet to examine the relationship between attentional control and emotion regulation difficulties. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine the unique associations between attentional control in terms of specific emotion regulation difficulties (i.e., with emotional clarity and awareness, impulse control, emotional acceptance, the ability to engage in goal directed behavior when upset, and access to effective emotion regulation strategies when upset). Participants were 355 undergraduate students (67.9% female; Mage=19.38, SD=2.08, Range=18–42years) who completed self-report measures for course credit. Partially consistent with hypotheses, after controlling for the effects of gender, negative affect, and non-criterion emotion regulation difficulties, greater attentional control was significantly associated with fewer difficulties with emotional clarity (2.7% variance) and the ability to engage in goal-directed behavior when upset (6% variance). These findings suggest that interventions that focus on improving attentional control (e.g., mindfulness training, attention bias modification) may be useful in improving difficulties with emotion regulation. •Attentional control is conceptualized as an emotion regulation (ER) strategy.•The relationship between attentional control and specific ER deficits is unclear.•Attentional control impacts specific ER difficulties.•Therefore, targeting attentional control may improve ER.•Attentional control may operate transdiagnostically through improved ER.