Implicit Attitudes and Addictive Behaviors Among Methamphetamine Users: The Moderation of Depression

Cheng-Fang Yen,1,2 Yi-Chun Yeh,1,2 Chih-Yao Hsu,3 Peng-Wei Wang1,2 1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan; 2Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan; 3Department of Ad...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yen CF, Yeh YC, Hsu CY, Wang PW
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2025-07-01
Series:Psychology Research and Behavior Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.dovepress.com/implicit-attitudes-and-addictive-behaviors-among-methamphetamine-users-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PRBM
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Cheng-Fang Yen,1,2 Yi-Chun Yeh,1,2 Chih-Yao Hsu,3 Peng-Wei Wang1,2 1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan; 2Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan; 3Department of Addiction Science, Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital, Kaohsiung, TaiwanCorrespondence: Peng-Wei Wang, Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, No. 100, Tzyou 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 80756, Taiwan, Tel +88-6731-21101ext6822, Email wistar.huang@gmail.comIntroduction: Methamphetamine use disorder is a major mental health issue worldwide. An implicit attitude is a potential way to understand the paradoxical behavior of substance use and has not been fully investigated for methamphetamine users. Depression is a common comorbidity for methamphetamine users. Little is known about the moderating effects of depression on the associations between implicit attitudes and addictive behavior in methamphetamine users. The aims of this study were to examine the associations of implicit attitudes with methamphetamine-dependent behavior and the moderation of depression in these associations.Methods: One-hundred and fifty methamphetamine users were enrolled. Epidemiological data, methamphetamine dependence severity, and implicit attitudes were collected.Results: The results showed that participants have positive implicit attitudes toward methamphetamine and that the implicit attitude is positively related to dependence severity. Depressive methamphetamine users have greater levels of positive implicit attitudes and dependence severity. Furthermore, depression positively moderates the relationships between implicit attitudes and use behavior.Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of implicit attitudes and depression for methamphetamine dependence and indicate that depression can strengthen the relationship between implicit attitudes and methamphetamine-use behavior. Therefore, both implicit attitudes and depression are areas to be addressed in the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder.Keywords: implicit attitude, dependence, methamphetamine, moderation and depression
ISSN:1179-1578