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. 2025 Mar 26;20(1):14.
doi: 10.1186/s13011-025-00643-z.

Rumination and drug craving scores in Chinese male patients with methamphetamine and heroin use disorders: a cross-sectional study

Yinxue Mao #  1   2 , Deyang Li #  1   2 , Dongmei Wang  3   4 , Yang Tian  1   2 , Jiajing Chen  1   2 , Lianglun Jia  5 , Xiaotao Wang  5 , Xiang-Yang Zhang  6   7
Affiliations

Rumination and drug craving scores in Chinese male patients with methamphetamine and heroin use disorders: a cross-sectional study

Yinxue Mao et al. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. .

Abstract

Background: Rumination is an essential trans-diagnostic process associated with substance use disorders (SUDs) in psychopathology. In China, methamphetamine and heroin have become major illegal drugs, but the role of rumination in their use remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between rumination subtypes and drug craving in patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MAUD) and 81 patients with heroin use disorder (HUD).

Methods: A total of 489 participants, including 408 patients with MAUD and 81 patients with HUD, were recruited from a rehabilitation center. Participants were screened for inclusion criteria, and the Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale (OCDUS) was used to assess drug craving. Rumination was assessed using the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), categorized into three dimensions: symptom rumination, brooding, and reflective pondering. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between rumination and craving.

Results: Compared to patients with MAUD, patients with HUD had significantly higher RRS and OCDUS total score (42.51 vs 39.71 and 25.99 vs 20.95, both p < 0.01). In patients with MAUD, the OCDUS total score was positively correlated with the total score (r = 0.298, p < 0.01) and all subscale scores of the RRS (for reflective pondering, r = 0.180; for brooding, r = 0.230; for symptom rumination, r = 0.325; all p < 0.01). However, in patients with HUD, only symptom rumination was positively associated with the OCDUS total score (r = 0.247, p < 0.05). Multiple regression showed symptom rumination was independently associated with OCDUS total score in both groups (for patients with MAUD, β = 0.324, p < 0.001; for patients with HUD, β = 0.252, p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that rumination shows different effects on craving in male patients with MAUD and HUD. Moreover, symptom rumination may have a significant influence on the connection between rumination and craving in individuals with MAUD and HUD.

Keywords: Drug craving; Heroin; Methamphetamine; Rumination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and complied with the Declaration of Helsinki on informed consent and confidentiality. All participants in this study voluntarily agreed to participate and signed informed consent forms. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Difference in RRS (A) and OCDUS (B) total scores between patients with methamphetamine use disorder (n = 408) and heroin use disorder (n = 81)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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