The Association Between Rumination and Craving in Chinese Methamphetamine-Dependent Patients: the Masking Effect of Depression

BackgroundCraving is a core feature of addiction. Rumination and depression play a crucial role in the process of methamphetamine addiction. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between rumination, depression and craving in methamphetamine patients, which has not been explored yet.MethodsA total of 778 patients with methamphetamine user disorder (MUD) at the Xinhua Drug Rehabilitation Center, located in Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, China. We used a set of self-administered questionnaires that included socio-demographic, detailed drug use history, rumination, depression and craving information. The Rumination Response Scale (RRS) was used to measure rumination, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to measure depression and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure craving.ResultsThere was a significant positive correlation between rumination and craving, or depression, and between depression and craving. Furthermore, depression mediated between rumination and craving, with a mediation effect of 160%.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that there is a close interrelationship between rumination, craving and depression in MUD patients, and that depression may play a mediating role between rumination and craving. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between rumination and craving during withdrawal in methamphetamine dependent patients and the mediating role of depression.Among methamphetamine patients, it was found that reflection was positively correlated with rumination and depression, depression and craving, rumination and craving, and depression plays the mediating role between rumination and craving.These findings suggest that interventions to reduce depression and rumination may also be effective for withdrawal and relapse reduction in methamphetamine patients, providing further rationale for the treatment of methamphetamine patients.