Relationships of Anxious Attachment and Religious Attitude with Tendency to Addiction among University Students with an Emphasis on Mediating Role of Impulsivity

Religion and spiritual attitudes are among the important factors affecting psychological and social injuries because spirituality influences people's attitudes, cognition, and behavior. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of impulsivity in the relationship between anxious attachment and religious attitude with the tendency to addiction among university students.

This descriptive-correlational study employed structural equation modeling (SEM). The study population consisted of all students at the Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz, of whom 300 were selected as the sample using convenience sampling. All participants completed the Addiction Potential Scale (APS), Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) Scale, Religious Attitude Scale, and Dickman Impulsivity Inventory (DII). The data were statistically analyzed using SEM.

According to the results, there was a significant relationship between anxious attachment with impulsivity (P=0.012) and the tendency to addiction (P=0.001).  Moreover, there was a negative relationship between religious attitudes with impulsivity (P=0.001) and the tendency to addiction (P=0.001). There was a positive relationship between impulsivity and the tendency to addiction in the students (P=0.001). The results also showed that impulsivity mediates the relationships between anxious attachment and religious attitudes with the tendency to addiction (P=0.001).

The results showed that the proposed model fitted the data well. Accordingly, the tendency of young people to addiction can be reduced by training families and university students in safe attachment styles, spiritual teachings, self-restraint, and control of impulses.