The Mediating Role of Drug Attitude in the Relationship between Differentiation of Self and Family Functioning with Addiction Potential in Adolescents

Introduction: Tendency to substance use disorders is one of the main sociopsychological problems that affect individuals both physically and mentally. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of drug attitude in the relationship of Differentiation of Self (DoS) and family functioning with addiction potential in adolescents. Method: This research was a correlational study based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of all male adolescents living in Tehran, in 2020-2021, of whom 315 were selected as the sample through convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Addiction Potential Scale (APS), Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI), The McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), and the Drug Attitudes Scale (DAS). The proposed model was examined by SEM, and indirect relationships between variables were tested using Bootstrap hypothesis testing through SPSS-27 and AMOS-25 software. Results: Findings revealed that there was a significant indirect relationship between DoS and family functioning with addiction potential through the mediating role of drug attitude in the adolescents (P<0.001). Moreover, there was a significant and direct relationship between addiction potential and all variables, except family functioning (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study findings confirmed the proposed model’s goodness of fit. Therefore, the use of this model is recommended to identify the factors affecting the potential of addiction in adolescents and also to develop programs to prevent and reduce addiction among adolescents.