The Relationship between Personality Traits and Addiction Tendency: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between personality traits and the tendency to addiction with the mediation of emotion regulation in Yazd University students. Methods: The study employed descriptive-correlational methodology. The population included all students of Yazd University in the first half of the 1401–1402 academic year, from whom 210 people were selected through available sampling method. Data was collected using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2001), Five Personality Factors NEO short form (1992), and Addiction Tendency (1992). The data were analyzed through path analysis using SPSS software (version 25) and PLS version 3. Results: The proposed model had a good fit. The findings indicated that the direct effect of neurotic personality traits on addiction tendency (ρ=0.00, β=0.30) was positive and significant, while the direct effects of extraverted personality traits (ρ=0.00, β=-0.32) and conscientiousness (ρ=0.00, β=-0.24) on addiction tendency were negative and significant. However, no significant direct effect was found between the agreeableness personality trait (ρ=0.09, β=-0.11) and addiction tendency. Additionally, the direct effect of neuroticism on maladaptive strategies (ρ=0.00, β=0.47) and the direct effects of extraversion (ρ=0.00, β=0.43) and conscientiousness (ρ=0.01, β=0.18) on adaptive strategies were significant. While there was a significant relationship between maladaptive strategies and addiction tendency (ρ=0.00, β=0.17), the direct effect of adaptive strategies on addiction tendency (ρ=0.06, β=0.12) was not significant. Furthermore, the indirect path of the neurotic personality trait on addiction tendency through the mediating role of maladaptive strategies (ρ = 0.00, β = 0.09) was significant. Conclusion: The results showed that personality trait as an independent variable and emotion regulation as a mediating variable is an important factor in predicting the tendency to addiction, which can be useful in planning preventive interventions and training workshops in the field of managing and controlling emotion regulation strategies.