Comparison of Emotional Intelligence, Attachment Style, and Mental Health in Addicted and Nonaddicted People

Background: Nowadays, because of the increasing prevalence of addiction in society, there are many costs involved in treating addicts and returning them to normal lives. This will not be possible except in new and effective ways. Objectives: This study aimed to compare emotional intelligence, attachment style, and mental health in addicted and healthy individuals. Methods: On the basis of inclusion criteria, available sampling method, and semistructured interview based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5, 100 addicted men were selected and after matching with 100 nonaddicted men by, Extracurricular Vein Scale (TMMS), light questionnaire Adult Attachment Style (AAS), and the Goldenberg General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were assessed. Results: The results showed that in all 3 components of attention, differentiation, and mood reconstruction of emotional intelligence, addicted people scored lower than the nonaddicted group. The results showed that in the secure attachment style, the mean scores of the nonaddicted group are higher than the addicted group, while in the avoidant insecure style and ambivalent anxiety style, addicted men are significantly higher than nonaddicted men. Also, in all components of mental health, the nonaddicted group obtained higher scores compared with addicted people. Conclusions: Psychological correlations of emotional intelligence, adult attachment style, and mental health are important risk factors for the phenomenon of drug addiction and have many practical implications for preventive interventions and treatment of abusive behaviors.