How Do Specific Social Supports (Family, Friend, and Specialist) Reduce Stress in Patients With Substance Use Disorders: A Multiple Mediation Analysis.

Chunyu Yang,Mengfan Xia,You Zhou,Tianshu Li

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.618576

Chunyu Yang, Mengfan Xia + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.618576

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Abstract

Perceived social support has been found to reduce the stress of individuals who suffer from substance use disorders. However, the mediating effects of resilience and affect balance in the relationships between specific social supports (family, friend, and significant others) and perceived stress are still unclear. This study focused on substance use disorders (SUD) patients, exploring the mediating roles of resilience and affect balance on the relationships between three dimensions of social supports (family, friend, and specialist) and stress. Three hundred thirty-nine participants completed questionnaires of perceived social support, resilience, affect balance, and stress. After controlling resilience and affect balance, the results suggested the effects of perceived family and specialist supports on perceived stress were fully mediated, and the association between perceived friend support and perceived stress is partially mediated. The multiple mediation analysis showed resilience is significant in mediating the relationship between specific perceived supports in all models, while affect balance is only significant in mediating the relationship between specialist support and perceived stress. Implications for enriching current theoretical research and strategies for government and practitioners were also discussed.

Highlights

Substance abuse disorder is a worldwide public health problem
Support, Resilience, Affect Balance, and Perceived Stress To evaluate the independent effects of family support, friend support, and specialist support were controlled as covariates in this serial mediation model
The results showed that resilience mediates the association between perceived family support and perceived stress

Summary

Introduction

Substance abuse disorder is a worldwide public health problem. It has brought many social stressors on patients with SUD, such as unemployment, stigmatization, and discrimination [1], forming a vicious circle of social isolation, which in turn increases the risk of relapse [2]. Stress may overwhelmingly lead to individuals’ physical and psychological disorders, such as depression [3], cognitive function impairment [4], cardiovascular disease, and even mortality [5]. Perceived stress refers to the perceived contradictions that external and internal demands exceed individuals’ adaptability [6].

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