Evaluation of a Novel Behavioral Indicator of Distress Intolerance

Distress intolerance (DI) is a transdiagnostic individual difference variable reflective of the capacity to withstand aversive psychological states. DI is typically measured with self-report questionnaires or behaviorally via quit latency on distressing persistence tasks. Although both measurement methods have demonstrated predictive validity with respect to theoretically-related clinical problems, cross-method convergence of DI measures is generally not found, which may be due to the lack of theoretically-derived behavioral indicators of DI. Extant persistence tasks are face valid measures of DI, but they do not directly assess a theorized central feature of DI: the ability to inhibit prepotent responses to negative reinforcers under distress. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the relations between a novel behavioral measure of this ability (i.e., Negative-Escape stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) on a modified stop-signal task) and DI self-report/persistence measures as well as DI-linked clinical problems (i.e., perseverative thought, :coping motives for substance use, stress-elicited substance use problems) in a large non-clinical sample (N = 199). Consistent with most prior literature, self-report and persistence measures of DI were non-significantly correlated, but, contrary to predictions, Negative-Escape SSRT was also unrelated to DI and associated clinical problems. However, exploratory analyses revealed that DI measured via self-report but not task persistence was associated with faster reaction time (RT) on Go trials with negative reinforcement relative to neutral stimuli (i.e., facilitated ΔEscapeRT). Further, facilitated ΔEscapeRT was related to some DI-linked clinical problems (i.e., perseverative thought, depression coping motives for alcohol use) and moderated the effect of stressful life events on change in alcohol use-related problems over a one-month follow-up period. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.