Hashem Jebraeili - Assistant Professor, PhD in Health Psychology, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

Background and Aim : The neurologic research on methamphetamine abusers indicates the cognitive and emotional dysfunctions in brain and theoretical models reveal the negative effect of these dysfunctions on the abusers decision-making. Yet no research has been conducted on the potential role played by emotional and cognitive dysfunctions in information collection required for decision-making. Therefore, current study is aimed at investigating the role of abuse indices as well as emotional and cognitive dysfunctions in reflection impulsivity of the methamphetamine abusers.Methods : The statistical sample was made up of all male abusers of methamphetamine under the treatment at drug rehabilitation centers located in Tehran. 320 out of all male abusers were selected, using convenient sampling. Then they were examined, using Information Sampling Task, Rapid Visual Information Processing Task, The Trail Making Test, emotional dysregulation questionnaire, Five Factor Impulsive Behavior Scale. Pearson correlation test and hierarchical regression in SPSS package were used to analyze the data. Results : Statistical results showed that the number of boxes opened in Fixed Win (FW) condition is correlated with abuse duration (r=0.13, p<0.05), abstinence duration (r=0.31, p<0.01) and age of onset of methamphetamine use (0.16, p<0.01). The number of boxes opened in decreasing Win (DW) condition is correlated significantly with age (r=0.16, p<0.05), abstinence duration (r=0.31, p<0.01), age of the onset of methamphetamine use (r=0.22, p<0.01), sustained attention (r=0.20, p<0.05), lack of emotional awareness (r=0.14, p<0.05), limited access to emotion regulation strategies (r=0.14, p<0.05), sensation seeking (r=0.18, p<0.01), and positive urgency (0.18, p<0.01). The results of hierarchical regression show that while the number of boxes opened in Fixed Win (FW) condition is influenced by abuse indices (F=13.93, p<0.01), the number of boxes opened in decreasing Win condition is influence not only by abuse indices (F=15.18, p<0.01) but by cognitive variables (F=4.26, p<0.01) and emotion variables (F=3.46, p<0.01) as well.Conclusion : Although it seems that Fixed Win condition measures only impulsivity, the scores in Decreasing Win Condition provide a measure of risky decision making, which is considered a more complex ability compared to impulsivity and is influenced not only by abuse indices but cognitive and emotional difficulties as well

Cognitive Flexibility, Continuous attention, Decision making, Emotional regulation, Executive control, Reflection impulsivity