Predictive contributions of emotion regulation, social support, and self-compassion to substance use disorder potential among nursing students

Nursing students are exposed to diverse academic, social, and emotional stressors that may increase their susceptibility to substance use disorder (SUD). Understanding psychosocial factors associated with SUD potential—such as emotion regulation, social support, and self-compassion—is essential for developing effective prevention strategies. The present study assessed SUD potential among nursing students, examined its associations with psychosocial variables, explored relationships with sociodemographic characteristics, and identified variables independently associated with SUD potential. A cross-sectional predictive-correlational design was used to collect data from 1,371 nursing students at Mansoura University, Egypt. Participants completed an online survey including a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Attitudes Toward Drug Use Scale, the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The sample consisted predominantly of female students (62%), aged 18–20 years (59.2%) and residing in rural areas (69.9%). Most participants (98.7%) exhibited low SUD potential, with a mean score of 57.1 ± 16.9. SUD was significantly associated with gender, family size, income adequacy, student and parental marital status, mental illness, childhood abuse, and family history of drug use. Correlation analysis indicated that SUD potential was negatively associated with emotion regulation ( r = − 0.256, p < 0.001) and positively associated with self-compassion ( r = 0.193, p < 0.001) and perceived social support ( r = 0.134, p < 0.001). Regression analysis identified gender, family size, income, marital status, parental marital status, family drug use, compassion satisfaction, emotion regulation, and perceived social support as significant predictors. Nursing students in this study exhibited generally low SUD potential; however, several sociodemographic and psychosocial factors significantly influenced vulnerability. Emotion regulation emerged as a protective factor, whereas higher self-compassion and greater perceived social support were unexpectedly associated with increased SUD potential, potentially reflecting the influence of social context and peer norms. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, particularly emotion regulation training, and further research to clarify the complex pathways linking psychosocial factors to substance use risk among nursing students. Not applicable