Path Analysis Model of Tendency to Addiction Based on a Sense of Coherence with the Mediation of Emotion Regulation Difficulties in Male Adolescents:A Descriptive Study

Adolescence is a critical period for the onset of addiction and psychological disorders. This study aimed to determine the path analysis model of tendency to addiction based on a sense of coherence with the mediation of emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents.

In this descriptive study, the statistical population consisted of all male secondary school students studying in public schools in Ardabil city in the academic year of 2019-2020. From this community, a sample of 200 people was randomly selected by multistage random sampling method and answered the questionnaires of tendency to use drugs, emotion regulation difficulties, and a sense of coherence. The obtained data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation test and path analysis modeling.

The results showed that the tendency to addiction was negatively correlated with the total score of sense of cohesion (r=-0.42, p<0.001), components of perceptibility (r=-0.41, p<0.001), controllability (r=-0.18, p<0.05), and significance (r= -0.38, p<0.001), and positively correlated with the total score of difficulty in emotion regulation (r=0.62, p<0.001). Also difficulty in regulating emotion was negatively related to the total score of sense of cohesion (r=-0.28, p<0.001), perceptual components (r=-0.26, p<0.001), and significance (r=-0.35, p<0.001). Model fit indices also confirmed the effect of sense of cohesion on the tendency to addiction with mediation of difficulty in emotion regulation.

According to the results of this study, in terms of application, it is recommended to hold educational workshops in the field of addiction and its side effects by teaching emotion management to adolescent students by school counselors and mental health planners.