Career Adaptability, Self-Determination, and Life Satisfaction: A Mediational Analysis With People With Substance Use Disorder

Living a satisfying life is an important goal for people with substance use disorder (SUD). However, making decisions about the future, imagining future scenarios, and setting and attaining goals related to that future after treatment is a complex task. As several studies have shown, people with SUD experience multiple barriers to designing their future life at the individual, program, and social support levels. Using a life design approach, the aim of this study was to investigate the role career adaptability and self-determination play in life satisfaction for adults with SUD. More specifically, a partial mediation model focused on career adaptability and life satisfaction through enhanced self-determination was tested in a sample (n = 134) of people with SUD. Findings suggest that career adaptability is indirectly related to life satisfaction, mediated by self-determination. These results have important implications for practice in vocational rehabilitation and career counseling for people with SUD.