Emotional dysregulation in a sample of adolescent inpatients: clinical and psychopathological characterization

Introduction Emotional dysregulation is an unhealthy emotional response to stimuli and a common reason for adolescent hospitalization. Linked to disorders like depression, borderline personality disorder, childhood trauma, and eating disorders, understanding its underlying causes may improve outcomes and prevent relapse. Objectives The aim of this study is to characterize emotional dysregulation among adolescent impatient. Methods Our study involves inpatients (16-24 years) hospitalized at our Transitional Psychiatric ward in Ancona (Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy). The used rating scale were: Temperament Evaluation in Memphis, Pisa and San Diego (TEMPS-M), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Descriptive analysis, simple and multivariate linear regression analysis were conducted. Results 97 adolescent patients were admitted from February 2022 to March 2023. The mean age of the sample is 17.3±1.9. The mean score to the BPRS is 43.9±10.3. The 70.7% (n=70) of the sample are females and the 79.8% (n=79) lives with their parents. Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders are the prevalent disorders in the sample (32.3%, n=32). The 21.1% (n=21) was diagnosed with depression, the 13.2% (n=13) with bipolar disorder and the 9.1% (n=9) with psychosis. According to the DERS, patients with emotional dysregulation are the 82,2% (n=37) of the sample. The 25.3% (n=24) of the sample could be classified as alexithymic. The most represented temperaments in the sample are the dysthymic 24.4% (n=11) and cyclothymic 22.2% (n=10). The mean score of the DERS is 122.33±29.5, the mean score of the TAS-20 is 58.9±166 and the mean score of the AQ is 78.7±30.1, the mean score of the BIS-11 is 65.2±19.1. A simple linear regression between DERS and AQ (R=0.536, R 2 =0.287, F(1)=15.284, p<0.001), TAS-20 (R=0.502, R 2 =0.252, F(1)=12.819, p=0.001) and BIS-11 (R=0.534, R 2 =0.285, F(1)=15.128, p<0.001) was observed. A multivariate linear regression was observed between the DERS (R=0.917, R 2 =0.842, F(1)=25.708, p<0.001) and the subscale about physical aggressivity of the AQ (β=2.065, p=0.008), the dysthymic subscale of the TEMPS (β=1.87, p<0.001), the hostility subscale of the AQ (β=-3.321, p<0.001), the subscale about difficulty identifying feelings of the TAS-20 (β=1.598, p=0.001), the total score of the AQ (β=0.5, p=0.006) and the subscale about cognitive impulsivity of the BIS-11 (β=1.024, p=0.047). Conclusions The results suggest a link between emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, aggression, and alexithymia. Notably, emotional dysregulation appears in those with a dysthymic temperament, marked by high aggression, difficulty identifying feelings, cognitive impulsivity and low hostility. Further research is needed to explore these findings and develop treatment strategies. Disclosure of Interest None Declared