Attachment, emotion regulation and family functioning in adults with cocaine use disorders

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to analyze the scores, associations and predictions between attachment orientations, emotion regulation and family functioning, in people with substance use disorders. For this purpose, a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational and predictive study was carried out, in which 183 adults participated (143 men and 40 women), who had cocaine use disorders and did not receive treatment. Results indicated that the majority of the group presented high scores for insecure attachment in close relationships in general (both in avoidance and anxiety), lack of emotional acceptance, and low scores for family cohesion and flexibility. In addition, significant associations were found between difficulties in emotion regulation, insecure attachment orientations and family functioning, the latter two predicting the former, and insecure attachment being the factor that contributed most.