The Mediating Role of Drug Use Indicators in the Relationship between the Impulsivity of the Disorder in the Emotional Dysfunction with Chronological Impulsivity in Chronic Consumers of Methamphetamine

Impulsivity, which is one of the most important behavioral indicators of addicted people, despite its importance has been studied less frequently. So, regarding the importance of investigating this variable, the present study aimed to investigating the intermediate role of substance use indices in relation between trait impulsivity and emotional dysregulation with state impulsivity in chronic methamphetamine users.

Present research belongs to analytical cross-sectional studies. Statistical population consisted of all methamphetamine users men who were settled in addiction treatment camps of Tehran city. From this statistical population a sample included of 300 individuals was selected through available sampling and were assessed employing information sampling task, difficulties in emotional regulation scale, and short form of five-factor impulsive behavior scale. Data were analyzed based on correlation test and path analysis using SPSS and Mplus softwares.

The findings showed that the proposed model has a good fitness with the data (RMSEA=0.01, SRMR=0.01, TLI =1, CFI=1, χ2/df=0.04). Methamphetamine use duration (β=0.12, P<0.05), abstinence duration (β=-0.28, P<0.01), difficulty in goal-directed behavior (β=0.20, P<0.05), difficulty in impulse control (β=-0.20, P<0.05), and lack of emotional clarity (β=-0.18, P<0.05) had significant direct effect, and difficulty in goal-directed behavior (β=0.05, P<0.05), difficulty in impulse control (β=-0.05, P<0.05), lack of premeditation (β=-0.06, P<0.05), and sensation seeking (β=0.03, P<0.05) had significant indirect effect on state impulsivity.

Dimensions of the trait impulsivity and emotional dysregulation directly or indirectly affect the amount of the state impulsivity in methamphetamine users. Methamphetamine use duration and abstinence duration not only have direct effect on state impulsivity, but also moderate and mediate the effects of other variables on this variable respectively.