The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation in the Relationship between Stress, Social Support, and Craving Intensity in Individuals with Substance Use Disorder

Abstract

In this study, the author discusses the ability of emotion regulation to mediate a potential relationship between perceived stress, social support, and the severity of craving in people with substance use disorder (SUD). A correlational cross-sectional study was conducted, and the sample group comprised 1200 individuals with SUD diagnoses in Pakistani rehabilitation centers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These questionnaires contained the PSS-10 (perceived stress), MSPSS (social support), DERS (emotion regulation difficulties), and OCDUS (craving intensity). Greater perceived stress was significantly related to emotion regulation difficulties (r =.52, p < .001) and craving intensity (r =.68, p < .001), and lower social support was inversely related to emotion regulation difficulties (r= -.46, p < .001) and craving intensity (r = -.26, p <.001). The importance of emotion regulation was supported by mediation analyses, and perceived stress was a major predictor of a poorer regulator of emotion, leading to a more significant level of craving, that is, it was revealed that there was some partial mediation. In the example of social support, the mediation was full, with support shedding light on the regulation of emotion, which, in turn, predicts the reduction of craving, implying that the protective qualities of social support are significantly mediated by alleviating the mechanisms of coping with emotions. These findings justify integrating the application of psychological skills training and social resource needs in the field of addiction management, making it clear that the intervention that implies an effort to decrease the level of stress, manage and regulate moods, and social support may lead to the overall reduction of cravings and a successful long-term post-treatment recovery in patients with SUD.