Dynamique émotionnelle et troubles liés à la consommation de substances psychoactives

International audiencePsychoactive substance use is associated with emotional manifestations. The authors investigated the emotional dynamics involved in subjects with a substance-related disorder Objectives: to demonstrate a particular mode of emotional functioning in subjects at high risk of dependence based on detection of emotional states and emotional disorders and to describe relationships between variables according to the presence or absence of a substance-related disorder Methods: the sample was composed of 268 subjects (44 males and 224 females) with a mean of age of 22.23 years (standard deviation = 5.45, range = 18-56 years). The protocol comprised evaluation of nicotine (Fagerström test), alcohol (CAGE-DETA), and cannabis (CAST) dependence and evaluation of emotional functioning—anxiety-depression (HAD), emotional states or affect (EPN-31), emotional intensity (AIR), and alexithymia (TAS-20). Results: subjects at high risk of dependence present emotional functioning marked by anxiety-depression, emotional activation, emotional reactivity and alexithymia. The major role of emotional states was clearly demonstrated. Discussion: although emotional states can be used to define the subject's emotional functioning, the subject's personal situation and the way in which he/she copes with this situation can be used to define the dynamic involved. A difficulty of identifying emotions appears to be highly prevalent in this dynamic, as a mode of processing of emotions, which is central to internal regulation of affect