A Structural Correlation Modeling of Stress and Substance Abuse with the Mediating Role of Meaning in Life and Experiential Avoidance

Substance Abuse is a serious threat to societies which cannot be cured without considering the related factors.
This study was a structural modeling of stress and substance abuse with the mediating role of meaning in life and experiential avoidance. The statistical population was all studying students at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2019. In this study, 387 students were chosen using multi-stage random cluster sampling. The participants filled out a demographic information form, Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Symptoms Screener (SAMISS), Student Stress Survey (SSS), Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ), and Meaning Life Questionnaire (MLQ). The collected data were analyzed by SPSS-23 and AMOS-23.
The total effect model analysis revealed that stress is directly and positively correlated with substance abuse. Also, the analysis of mediation effect model revealed that experiential avoidance positively and partially mediates the relationship between stress and substance abuse.  Meaning in life negatively and partially mediates the relationship between stress and substance abuse. The P-value was smaller than 0.05 in both analysis.
The current study supported theories that widen the scope with regard to the conceptualization of substance abuse, and identify the meaning in life and experiential avoidance as particularly relevant factors to consider when treating substance abuse.