Spirituality, Emotional Intelligence, and Knowledge about Drugs Associated with Cognitive-Behavioral Change in Men with Problematic Substance Use

Introduction: addiction treatment has progressed toward more comprehensive approaches. Cognitive-behavioral change strategies have proven effective in addressing problems related to drug use, but the role of factors such as spirituality, emotional intelligence, and drug knowledge still require greater understanding.Objective: to analyze the relationship between spirituality, emotional intelligence, knowledge about drug use, and cognitive-behavioral change processes in men undergoing treatment for problematic substance use. Methods: an observational, correlational study was conducted of northern Mexico with 88 men in residential treatment for problematic substance use. Sociodemographic variables, spirituality, emotional intelligence, substance knowledge, and severity of use were analyzed. Descriptive and correlational analyzes using Spearman's coefficient were used. Results: spirituality (r = ,210, p < ,05), emotional intelligence (r = ,363, p < ,01), and drug knowledge (r = ,320, p < ,01) were positively and significantly correlated with change processes. Globall scores on alcohol (r = -,268, p < ,05) and illicit drug use (r = -,264, p < ,05) showed negative and significant correlations with change processes. Conclusions: the findings support the implementation of integrated interventions that consider these factors in the treatment of addictions.