Mindfulness and social support as predictors of distress tolerance in individuals with substance usedisorders: A cross-sectional study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61882/MEJNCD.1.1.8Keywords:
Social support , Mindfulness, Distress tolerance, Substance use disorderAbstract
Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with significant psychological
difficulties, including low distress tolerance, which increases relapse risk. Perceived social
support and mindfulness are known protective factors, yet their predictive roles in Iranian
clinical populations require further investigation. This study examined whether perceived social
support and mindfulness predict distress tolerance in patients undergoing treatment for SUDs in Zabol, Iran.
Method: This applied cross-sectional study included 92 treatment-seeking individuals with
clinically diagnosed SUDs recruited from addiction treatment clinics through convenience
sampling. Participants completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support
(MSPSS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS).
Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression in SPSS-26.
Significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Perceived social support demonstrated a strong and significant positive effect on
distress tolerance (β = 0.607, p < 0.001), explaining 36.7% of its variance. In contrast,
mindfulness showed no significant predictive value (β = 0.041, p = 0.697), accounting for only
0.2% of the variance. Overall, participants reported relatively high levels of perceived social
support, mindfulness, and distress tolerance.
Conclusion: Perceived social support emerged as a robust predictor of distress tolerance among individuals with SUDs, underscoring the essential role of supportive networks in enhancing emotional resilience and potentially reducing relapse risk. Mindfulness, however, did not independently predict distress tolerance, suggesting that dispositional mindfulness may require structured training to yield observable benefits within this population. Integrating family- and peer-based support programs into addiction treatment is strongly recommended.
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