Objective: The association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and substance use has been well established. However, this study uniquely examines this relationship in Iranian students, focusing on the mediating role of emotional dysregulation.
Method: The statistical population of the present study included all students at Tehran universities. A total of 801 students, 264 (33%) males, and 537 (67%) females, with an age range of 18 to 62 years (M=24.93, SD=6.915). participated in this study and completed the DERS questionnaire, the Addiction Potential Scale, and the PTSD Checklist (PCL-5). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating effects.
Results: The findings showed a significant positive relationship between PTSD symptoms, emotional dysregulation, and substance use tendencies. In addition, emotional dysregulation significantly mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and substance use tendencies. According to the research findings, the direct effects of PTSD symptoms (t=8.249 and β=0.611) and emotional dysregulation (t=5.939 and β=0.332) on the substance use tendencies, as well as the direct effect of PTSD symptoms on emotional dysregulation (t=18.182 and β=0.754) are positive and significant. The fit of the current study model is favorable (RMSEA=0.056, chi-square ratio to degrees of freedom=3.498, IFI and CFI=0.984).
Conclusion: It was observed that emotional dysregulation mediates the relationship between symptoms of PTSD and substance use tendencies.