Has CBT an Effect on Emotional Intelligence in Patients With Substance Use Disorder?: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Between the ages of fifteen and sixty-four, 5% of the global population, or nearly 200 million people, reported consuming at least one illegal substance per year. According to the 2008 World Drug Report, cannabis has a prevalence of 3.8%, compared to 0.6% for amphetamines and opiates, 0.3% for cocaine and heroin, and 0.2% for ecstasy. A cross-sectional study by [1] in Egypt with 2552 participants found that sedatives (8.7%) were the most commonly abused drugs, followed by alcohol (6.7%), cannabinoids (6.6%), and tramadol (2.4%). The prevalence of drug use was 8.9% for cigarette smoking followed by sedatives (4.3%), hashish (3.6%), alcohol (2.7%), cannabinoids (1.4%,) and tramadol (1.0%).

Lander et al. [2] believed that substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the most severe psychosocial traumas posing environmental, psychological, behavioral, and emotional challenges to individuals. It can cause obstacles for persons, families, and cultural foundations, endangering countries' dynamics. SUD is a brain disorder that impacts the person's behavior, manifests as psychological and physiological symptoms; and persists for a long duration despite its harmful and detrimental consequences.

Previous research has shown that different factors impact starting and following addiction. These factors are; 1) Individuals, such as the presence or lack of personality traits that make an individual vulnerable to addiction, for example, non-assertiveness as an individual factor. 2) Social factors, such as parental addiction, lack of parental control, availability of substances, presence of addicted peers, and so on [3].

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a relatively recent behavioral model rising to prominence with Daniel Goleman's 1995 Book called 'Emotional Intelligence'. The early emotional intelligence theory was originally developed during the 1970s and 80s by the work and writings of psychologists Howard Gardner (Harvard), Peter Salovey (Yale), and John 'Jack' Mayer (New Hampshire) [4]. Emotional intelligence consists of the ability to motivate individuals such as endurance against frustration, impulse control, mood modification, and avoiding destructive stress to prevent mental disorders [5].

Emotional intelligence is a set of non-cognitive skills and abilities that can help a person deal with environmental stressors, according to [6]. Azzam and Elghonemy's [7] research demonstrated that emotional regulation was associated with mood improvement and a higher likelihood of SUD recovery. They found emotional intelligence to be an important factor in the treatment of substance use. [8] suggested that improvements in EI through treatment interventions can be an effective way to improve not only EI but also psychiatric symptoms both for the short term and the long term after rehabilitation.