Relationship Between Anxious Attachment, Family Health, and Addiction Susceptibility in University Students; the Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation

Individuals with substance use disorder often struggle with chronic and recurrent episodes, experiencing a lack of control over their behaviors and significant disruptions in motivation. This study investigated the relationship between anxious attachment, family well-being, and addiction susceptibility among university students with the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation.

This study utilized structural equation modeling, a widely recognized multivariate correlation method, to examine the relationship between various factors in the context of addiction susceptibility. The target population for this study comprised students from the Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz. Through convenience sampling, a sample of 300 students was selected. All participants completed the Potential Addiction Scale, Experience in Close Relationships Scale, Family-of-Origin Scale, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Scale. The collected data underwent statistical analysis using SEM, revealing a well-fitted model.

Anxious attachment and family health significantly influenced participants' inclination toward addiction (p<0.001). These effects were directly and indirectly observed, mediated by cognitive emotion regulation (p<0.001).

Reducing addiction tendencies in young individuals can be achieved through training families and university students on cultivating secure attachment styles, employing adaptive cognitive regulation strategies, and promoting overall family health.