Association Between Negative Affectivity and Craving in Substance-Related Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Direct and Indirect Relationships.

BACKGROUND:A sizeable literature highlighted that negative affectivity and craving are both known to be implicated in relapses. OBJECTIVES:The present study synthetized the existing litterature to determine strength of the interaction between negative affectivity and craving for substance-related disorders including illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco. METHODS:We conducted a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines followed by a meta-analysis. Online computer databases PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched systematically and thoroughly. Jamovi 1.8.1 Current version was used to conduct meta-analysis. RESULTS:Thirty studies were included in the review, and 14 of these, including 2257 subjects, were used for meta-analysis. The raw correlation ranged from 0.17 to 0.58, which indicated weak to moderate association between negative affects and craving. In total, approximately 90% of the selection revealed a positive correlation between negative affects and craving. Alcohol and tobacco use disorders have received the most attention. Additionally, negative affectivity was often defined as a transient state rather than a stable personality trait. CONCLUSIONS:In both of our meta-analyses and in the narratively reported studies, we found that negative affectivity is an important component related to craving, but individual differences in craving reactivity existed.