(PS12-D80) Reward Sensitivity, Mindfulness, and Emotion Regulation: A Preliminary Analysis Among Young Adults Displaying Antisocial Behaviors

Individuals exhibiting antisocial behaviors (AB) often show a hypersensitivity and increased willingness to work toward rewards (Estrada et al., 2019;  Murray et al., 2018). However, mindfulness has shown to have advantageous effects in reducing externalizing behaviors (Muratori et al., 2021; Samuelson et al., 2007). It is unclear what accounts for this reduction, although some have hypothesized it may be due to increased emotion regulation (ER) or altered brain activity in anticipation of and in response to rewards (Kirk et al., 2015). The goal of the current study was to examine bivariate associations among mindfulness, emotion regulation, reward sensitivity, and various facets of AB. Participants were 103 young adults (85.44% females) recruited from a US college sample, ranging in age from 18-25 (M = 19.66, SD = 1.45) with an average of 13.79 years of education (SD = 1.09, range 11-17 years). Participants largely identified as White (68.93%) and non-Hispanic/Latino (84.47%). Participants were recruited as part of a larger study and completed an online assessment that included measures of reward processing (BIS/BAS: scores range 1-4), externalizing behaviors (APSD: scores range 0-3, ICU: scores range 0-3, BPAQ: scores range 1-5), mindfulness (FFMQ: scores range 1-5, TMS-T: scores range 0-4), and emotion regulation (DERS-16: scores range 1-5). Mean levels of externalizing behaviors were 0.51 (SD = 0.22) for AB, 0.73 (SD = 0.34) for CU traits, and 2.26 (SD = 0.54) for aggression. Mean levels of reward sensitivity subscales were between 2.59 and 3.46 (SDs = 0.48-0.60). Mean levels of mindfulness were 3.12 (SD = 0.53) on the FFMQ and between 1.73 and 2.51 (SDs = 0.60-0.88) on the TMT-T subscales. Lastly, mean levels of ER were 2.76 (SD = 0.92). Preliminary analyses showed positive associations between measures of externalizing and reward (rs = .29-.39, ps < .01), such that higher levels of externalizing were associated with a more activated reward system. Surprisingly, CU traits showed a significant negative association with one subscale of reward (r = -.25, p < .05), suggesting that higher CU traits were associated with a less activated reward system. When examining associations between mindfulness and externalizing behaviors, the FFMQ was significantly negatively associated with AB (r = -.27, p < .01), CU traits (r = -.37, p < .01), and aggression (r = -.33, p < .01), whereas the TMT-T curiosity scale was only significantly associated with CU traits (r = -.31, p < .01). All other TMT-T correlations were non-significant (p > .05). Similarly, when examining mindfulness and reward sensitivity, only the TMT-T curiosity scale showed significant associations with two of the three reward subscales (rs = .20-.34, ps < .05), such that higher levels of mindfulness were associated with a more activated reward system. Unexpectedly, the FFMQ was negatively associated with one reward subscale (r = -.20, p < .05). Lastly, ER was positively associated with reward (rs = .28-.33, ps < .01) such that higher levels of emotional dysregulation were associated with a more activated reward system. Findings suggest unique associations exist among facets of externalizing, reward sensitivity, and mindfulness.