Presented papers in International Conference on Substance Use Disorders

Abstract

Background: Meaning in life has been associated with positive mental health. However, previous findings are mixed regarding how the meaning in life (i.e., presence & search) is associated with mental health issues such as depression.

Objective: The objective of the present research is to explore the predictive association of meaning in life (.e., presence & search with depression in people with substance use disorder (SUD). It was hypothesized that; 1)-There would be a predictive association of meaning in life (presence) with depression in people with substance use disorder 2- There would be a predictive association of meaning in life (i.e., search) with depression in people with substance use disorder.

Method and Sample: The sample of the present study comprised 139 participants (male patients with substance use disorder), ages ranging from 19 to 50 years (M =28.49; SD =8.112). The sample was recruited from different drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers situated in Karachi, through purposive sampling. Instruments used in this study were the Personal Information Form, Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and Siddiqui Shah Depression Scale (SSD), and all measures were used in the Urdu language.

Results and Conclusion: Regression analysis was run to predict depression from meaning in life (i.e., presence and search). These variables statistically significantly predicted depression, F(2,137) =  41.613, P<.001, R2 = .378. Overall findings revealed that meaning in life has a significant contribution to depression among people with SUD.

Keywords: Meaning in life, presence, search, depression, substance use disorder.