Introduction
Substance abuse disorder is present as one of the health, psychological, and social problems (Bresloha et al., 2017). One of the challenges faced by specialists who work in the field of substance dependence is the high rate of relapse in this disorder (Fakaruddin & Nor, 2020). In Iran, the relapse rate of substance abuse disorder has been reported from 38% to 90% (Nadri, 2018). Even the most effective psychological treatments have a relationship with relapse, with approximately 70% of follow-ups after treatment (Moeller & Paulus, 2018). The relapse behavior of substance abuse disorder is influenced by various factors, one of the most important factors is personality (Henkel, 2011). It is the personality traits that can make a person susceptible to a series of behaviors, if a person with different personality traits may not show such behaviors in the same conditions (Shu et al., 2017). In addition to personality factors, environmental and social factors play a significant role in the relapse of substance abuse disorder; one of the most important environmental and social factors is the issue of employment (Dep et al., 2011). In today’s societies, it is not possible to live without having a job, and every person needs to have a job in order to be able to join a social organization and find a position and dignity in society. Job is not only considered as a tool to meet the essential needs of life but also as a vital element in the social status of people. This is despite the fact that people’s jobs are one of the main causes of tension in their lives (Khoshakhlagh et al., 2021). However, the relationship between personality traits and job status with the likelihood of relapse is not a simple linear relationship. Rather, it seems that some mediating variables play an aggravating role and play the possibility of returning to substances. McCrady (1989) proposed a model in which spouses’ relationships are considered as one of the most important predictors of relapse prevention. In this model, the spouse’s behaviors and intimate relationships are mentioned as facilitating or non-facilitating factors. Therefore, the more destructive the spouses’ relationship is, the less likely it is to recover from substance abuse (Butler, & Seedall, 2006). Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the family situation, the psychological status of drug users, and on the other hand, their employment status in order to plan for a comprehensive and scientific treatment, considering that so far no research has investigated the relationship between these variables; The main research question is whether the causal model of married substance abuse recurrence based on personality and permanent employment is a good fit with the mediator role of marital satisfaction.
Method
The current research study is a description of correlation type. The statistical population of the present study includes all recovered addicts who are members of the human rehabilitation society of the Congress of 60 Shahrekord cities, and the total number of these people is about 336. Two hundred and fifty people who completed the questionnaire were selected, and the data collected from the sample group were entered into SPSS and AMOS software for analysis and inferential analysis was done using the structural equation model method. Also, the tools used in this research include three questionnaires: Neo Personality Characteristics Questionnaire, Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Researcher’s Job Status Questionnaire (5 questions that examine the employment status of people in the permanent or temporary range, sufficient or insufficient income, and job satisfaction or dissatisfaction). The results of face validity and factor analysis showed the favorable status of the questionnaire.
Findings
Descriptive information of mean and standard deviation of the research variables was calculated. The skewness and kurtosis of the research variables in the range of -1 to +1 indicates the normal distribution of the scores of the research variables, and based on this, the research data can be analyzed parametrically. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated in order to check the relationships between the variables and is presented in Table 1.
Table (1) Correlation matrix among research variables
Variable |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Neuroticism |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Extraversion |
-0.53** |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Openness |
-0.59 ** |
0.37 ** |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
Agreeableness |
-0.63 ** |
0.32 ** |
0.27 ** |
1 |
|
|
|
|
Conscientiousness |
-0.35 ** |
0.33 ** |
-0.31 ** |
0.31 ** |
1 |
|
|
|
Occupation ccupa |
-0.37 ** |
0.27 ** |
0.23 ** |
0.25 ** |
0.41 ** |
1 |
|
|
Marital Satisfaction |
-0.43 ** |
0.24 ** |
0.33 ** |
0.36 ** |
0.39 ** |
0.43 ** |
1 |
|
Addiction relapse |
0.31 ** |
0.39 ** |
0.27 ** |
0.39 ** |
-0.27 ** |
-0.31 ** |
-0.33 ** |
1 |
Before entering the research conceptual model test, the basic assumptions of modeling, including missing data, outliers, and the normality of the distribution of variables, were examined. In general, the results presented in this section show that all the basic assumptions of the modeling analysis are present, and therefore there are no obstacles for this analysis. In order to check the fit of the research model, some reliable indicators were used. the results of which are shown in table 2.
Table (2) fit indices of the final research model
Index |
χ2/df |
GFI |
AGFI |
NFI |
TLI |
CFI |
RMSEA |
Value |
2.63 |
0.94 |
0.92 |
0.93 |
0.92 |
0.93 |
0.07 |
Optimal value |
<3 |
>0.90 |
>0.90 |
>0.90 |
>0.90 |
>0.90 |
<0.08 |
According to the values reported in Table 2, it can be concluded that the calculations show a sufficient fit for the final model.
Below is the path diagram of the fitted model along with the standard values (Figure 1). As can be seen in the final model, the direct path of neuroticism on relapse of addicts is 0.43 significant at the 0.01 level (β = 0.01). The direct effect of extroversion on the relapse of drug addicts is 0.27 significant at the 0.01 level (β=0.27). The direct effect of openness to experience on the relapse of addicts is 0.34 significant at the 0.01 level (β = 0.34). The direct effect of agreement on the relapse of drug addicts is 0.21 significant at the 0.01 level (β = 0.21). The direct effect of responsibility on the relapse of drug addicts is equal to -0.33 and significant at the level of 0.01 (β = -0.33). The direct effect of job status on the relapse of married drug addicts is equal to -0.39 at the 0.01 level and is significant (β = -0.39). The direct effect of marital satisfaction on the relapse of married addicts is 0.27 and significant at the 0.01 level. (β = 0.27). The direct effect of marital satisfaction on the relapse of married drug addicts is confirmed. Indirect hypotheses in this research are the indirect effect of neuroticism (p = 0.01, β = 0.1), extroversion (p=0.01, β=0.09), openness to experience (p =0.01, β = 0.13) and orbit (p =0.01), β=0.12, and job status (p = 0.01, β =-0.11) are significant on relapse of addicts, but the indirect effect of agreement (p = 0.42, β = 0.03) is not significant on relapse of addicts. It should be noted that this indirect effect has taken place through the mediating role of marital satisfaction.
Discussion
The analyzes conducted in this research show that the developed model of addiction to relapse based on job status and personality characteristics with the mediation of marital satisfaction has a good fit. The results of this research showed that the direct effect of neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness on the relapse of addicts is positive and significant, and the direct effect of responsibility on the relapse of addicts is negative and significant. In explaining this finding, it can be said that each of the personality traits can be related to the problem of addiction in a different way. In such a way a person with neuroticism is more likely to be drawn to risky behaviors such as addiction in critical situations. On the other hand, characteristics such as openness to experience due to low-risk assessment or extroversion due to the need to maintain social interaction, which can sometimes be costly, or agreeableness due to the desire to be with a group can lead to addiction or returning to Addiction. On the other hand, some characteristics such as responsibility or the responsibility it creates in front of the behavior, reduce the tendency to addiction. The direct effect of job status on the relapse of married drug addicts has shown a significant and negative relationship. This finding is in line with the research of Vanderhill et al. and Sheikhul Islami et al. (2019). Vanderheel et al. (2020) concluded that job components are a significant factor in predicting the tendency to risky behaviors such as addiction.
Those who recovered from addiction with a history of non-relapse had significantly more jobs (certain income) and job skills than those who recovered from addiction with a history of relapse. It was predicted by Shaykh al-Islami et al. (2019). In explaining this finding, the job It is effective in determining the strategy for dealing with life’s challenges. When people’s jobs have stability and enough income to manage their lives, there is less chance of causing failure, and a part of addiction can be justified based on this failure. The probability that a person with favorable job conditions can get rid of addiction is much higher than a person with worse job conditions. Because the right job can restore a part of the damaged identity and return him to a normal life. The results show the direct effect of marital satisfaction on the relapse of married drug addicts, in a negative and significant way. (Ahmadi et al., 2012) Zargar et al. (2008) (Yousfi et al., 2011). Zargar et al. (2008) showed that employees who are more dissatisfied with their spouses are more willing to become addicted. In fact, the pressures of living together are related to psychological injuries, especially depression, anxiety disorders, and physical diseases (Yousfi et al., 2011). Marital satisfaction can create a kind of positive interaction that reduces the context for the occurrence of risky behaviors.
The results showed that personality and marital satisfaction can predict the recurrence of substance abuse disorder and job status as a mediating variable can better explain the relationships between variables.. Based on the findings, a significant part of the process of treating addicts can be related to the structure of couples’ relationships, which leads to satisfaction. This can be vital in the context of marital counseling for families of substance abusers. Also, creating a permanent and stable job that can reduce the economic pressure on this group is the basis for recovery. It should be noted that the population and sample of the present study are limited, so the generalization of the results should be done with caution. The cross-sectional nature of the research and problems related to time limits are other issues related to the generalizability of the results. The only measurement tool was the questionnaire, which limits the comprehensiveness of the information.
Following the principles of research ethics
In this article, in addition to the principles of professional ethics, all the rights related to the cited sources are observed and the sources are carefully mentioned.