How Resilience Promotes Mental Health of Patients With DSM-5 Substance Use Disorder? The Mediation Roles of Positive Affect, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Support

The existing studies found that resilience is a salient trait that can significantly affect people's psychological well-being with substance use disorders (SUDs). However, few studies examined how the mechanisms are connected between resilience and mental health among patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth edition SUD. This study investigated the mediation effects of positive affect, perceived social support, and self-esteem on the effect of resilience on perceived stress and life satisfaction in SUD patients. A total of 415 patients diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth edition SUD from the south of China joined the research. The study applied Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale to measure patients' resilience, positive affect, self-esteem, perceived social support, perceived stress, and life satisfaction. Structural equation model analysis revealed that positive affect and self-esteem partially mediate the relationship between resilience and perceived stress. In contrast, positive affect and perceived social support partially mediate the relationship between resilience and life satisfaction. The findings provide insights for evidence-based substance abuse intervention that positive affect, self-esteem, and perceived social support can conditional the effects of resilience on promoting the mental health of SUD patients.