Childhood Maltreatment and Drug Craving in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: The Independent and Serial Mediating Roles of Emotional Dysregulation and Impulsivity

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Main Authors: Saad Ullah, Yang Tian, Yinxue Mao, Arsalan Haider, Linjun Jiang, Rongrong Zhu, Dong‐Mei Wang, Xiang‐Yang Zhang
Format: Artículo Open Access
Published: Wiley 2026
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author Saad Ullah
Yang Tian
Yinxue Mao
Arsalan Haider
Linjun Jiang
Rongrong Zhu
Dong‐Mei Wang
Xiang‐Yang Zhang
author_facet Saad Ullah
Yang Tian
Yinxue Mao
Arsalan Haider
Linjun Jiang
Rongrong Zhu
Dong‐Mei Wang
Xiang‐Yang Zhang
Saad Ullah
Yang Tian
Yinxue Mao
Arsalan Haider
Linjun Jiang
Rongrong Zhu
Dong‐Mei Wang
Xiang‐Yang Zhang
collection Wiley Open Access
contents Childhood Maltreatment and Drug Craving in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: The Independent and Serial Mediating Roles of Emotional Dysregulation and Impulsivity Saad Ullah Yang Tian Yinxue Mao Arsalan Haider Linjun Jiang Rongrong Zhu Dong‐Mei Wang Xiang‐Yang Zhang Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy ABSTRACT Growing evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with adverse emotional and behavioural outcomes in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the association between CM and drug craving remain insufficiently understood. This study examined whether emotional dysregulation (ED) and impulsivity independently and serially mediated the association between CM and drug craving in patients with MUD. A total of 407 male inpatients with MUD were recruited from a drug rehabilitation centre in China. CM, ED, impulsivity and drug craving were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ‐SF), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS‐11) and the Obsessive‐Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS), respectively. Of the total sample, 229 (56.2%) patients had experienced at least one form of CM. Patients with a history of CM exhibited significantly higher levels of ED, impulsivity and drug craving than those without CM (all p  < 0.01). Significant associations were observed among CM, ED, impulsivity and drug craving (all p  < 0.05). Furthermore, ED and impulsivity independently ( β  = 0.041, 95% CI [0.023, 0.062]; β  = 0.024, 95% CI [0.009, 0.042]) and serially ( β  = 0.011, 95% CI [0.003, 0.021]) mediated the association between CM and drug craving. These findings suggest that the association between CM and drug craving may be partly explained by emotion regulation difficulties and impulsivity, highlighting the potential value of interventions targeting emotion regulation skills and impulse control in patients with MUD. 10.1002/cpp.70277 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
doi_str_mv 10.1002/cpp.70277
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institution Wiley Open Access
license_str_mv http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
publishDate 2026
publisher Wiley
record_format wiley_oa
spellingShingle Childhood Maltreatment and Drug Craving in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: The Independent and Serial Mediating Roles of Emotional Dysregulation and Impulsivity
Saad Ullah
Yang Tian
Yinxue Mao
Arsalan Haider
Linjun Jiang
Rongrong Zhu
Dong‐Mei Wang
Xiang‐Yang Zhang
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
Childhood Maltreatment and Drug Craving in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: The Independent and Serial Mediating Roles of Emotional Dysregulation and Impulsivity Saad Ullah Yang Tian Yinxue Mao Arsalan Haider Linjun Jiang Rongrong Zhu Dong‐Mei Wang Xiang‐Yang Zhang Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy ABSTRACT Growing evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with adverse emotional and behavioural outcomes in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the association between CM and drug craving remain insufficiently understood. This study examined whether emotional dysregulation (ED) and impulsivity independently and serially mediated the association between CM and drug craving in patients with MUD. A total of 407 male inpatients with MUD were recruited from a drug rehabilitation centre in China. CM, ED, impulsivity and drug craving were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ‐SF), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS‐11) and the Obsessive‐Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS), respectively. Of the total sample, 229 (56.2%) patients had experienced at least one form of CM. Patients with a history of CM exhibited significantly higher levels of ED, impulsivity and drug craving than those without CM (all p  < 0.01). Significant associations were observed among CM, ED, impulsivity and drug craving (all p  < 0.05). Furthermore, ED and impulsivity independently ( β  = 0.041, 95% CI [0.023, 0.062]; β  = 0.024, 95% CI [0.009, 0.042]) and serially ( β  = 0.011, 95% CI [0.003, 0.021]) mediated the association between CM and drug craving. These findings suggest that the association between CM and drug craving may be partly explained by emotion regulation difficulties and impulsivity, highlighting the potential value of interventions targeting emotion regulation skills and impulse control in patients with MUD. 10.1002/cpp.70277 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
title Childhood Maltreatment and Drug Craving in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: The Independent and Serial Mediating Roles of Emotional Dysregulation and Impulsivity
topic Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
url https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpp.70277