Assessment of family functioning in families of patients on methadone maintenance treatment

Abstract

Addiction has multi-factorial etiopathogenesis. Morbidity risk factors include both individual and social factors. Social factors are considered to be very important, especially at the initial stage of taking the substance. Family and the social environment, with their behavior and social norms, are the primary psychosocial determinants. Family functioning has an impact on both the development and the maintenance of addictions, so it is an important research topic. The aim of this study was to determine if families of drug addicts who are on methadone maintenance treatment differ in the level of functionality from families without addiction problems. The study sample included 100 persons divided into two groups - clinical and control. The clinical group consisted of 50 persons - drug addicts who are on methadone maintenance treatment, whereas the control group consisted of 50 persons without addiction problems. FACES IV and General questionnaire were used as instruments for the control group, and POMPIDU questionnaire for the clinical group. The results show that the families of addicts who are in methadone substitution treatment program vary in the level of functionality compared to families in which there is no problem of addiction and in a way that the families of the control group are more functional. These results in our region confirmed earlier results on the connection between family dysfunction and substance abuse, which may have significant implications in the treatment and prevention programs of addictions.