Investigation of Treatment Eagerness Based on Family Functioning, Perceived Social Support, Psychological Symptoms, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Among Patients Diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder in Zahedan, Iran, in 2025

Abstract

Background: Treatment eagerness is an important factor associated with engagement in and retention in treatment for substance use disorders. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations between family functioning, perceived social support, psychological symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation and treatment eagerness among patients diagnosed with substance use disorder residing in medium-term residential treatment centers in Zahedan, Iran, in 2025. Methods: This cross-sectional correlational study included men diagnosed with substance use disorder who were residing in medium-term residential treatment centers in Zahedan, Iran. In total, 114 participants were selected using convenience sampling. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Islamic Azad University, Zahedan Branch (Ethics ID: IR.IAU.ZAH.REC.1404.050). The study instruments included the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES; Miller and Tonigan), the Family Assessment Device (Epstein), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet), the Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 27. Results: Family functioning (P < 0.01, r = -0.772), perceived social support (P < 0.01, r = 0.763), psychological symptoms (P < 0.01, r = 0.307), and difficulties in emotion regulation (P < 0.01, r = -0.435) were significantly associated with treatment eagerness. Multiple regression analysis showed that family functioning (β = -0.225), perceived social support (β = 0.210), somatization (β = 0.165), impulse control difficulties (β = -0.219), difficulties in goal-directed behavior (β = 0.235), and limited access to emotion regulation strategies (β = -0.240) collectively explained 82.4% of the variance in treatment eagerness. Conclusions: These findings indicate significant associations between treatment eagerness and family functioning, perceived social support, psychological symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation among individuals with substance use disorders.