Exploring The Role of Difficulties in Emotional Regulation in Everyday Inattention, Impulsivity, and Cognitive Failure in Young Adults

Abstract

We examined whether difficulties in emotion regulation predict everyday inattention, impulsivity, and cognitive failures in young adults. Using convenience sampling, we recruited 205 participants aged 18 to 28 years (M = 21.2, SD = 2.56). Participants completed the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ 2.0), the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16). We analyzed data using Pearson correlations and linear regression. Results showed significant positive associations between emotion regulation difficulties and all three outcomes. Emotion regulation difficulties explained 52.6% of the variance in cognitive failures, 53.8% in inattention, and 63.4% in hyperactivity/impulsivity. These findings suggest that improving emotion regulation may reduce attentional lapses and cognitive errors in daily life.