Drug Addiction and Manifestations of Indirect Self- Destructiveness

Abstract

Use and particularly abuse of psychoactive substances is considered a typical form of self-destructive behaviour; addiction itself, meanwhile is regarded as one of the forms of self-destructiveness. Indirect self-destructiveness is considered behaviour whose negative consequences are mediated by additional factors, while the relationship between the behaviour and harm is considered probable. Indirect self-destructiveness understood in that way includes not only undertaking but also abandoning acts; that is related to engaging in dangerous and aggravated risk situations, or neglecting one's health and safety. The aim of this work was to explore the indirect self-destructiveness syndrome in a treatment population of drug addicts. The Polish version of the Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale (CS-DS) was administered among 172 patients (116 males and 56 females) in drug addiction treatment centres. Results show that self-destructiveness as a generalised behavioural tendency, as well as its more specific manifestations, score within the upper range of the average. Increasing scores by CS-DS subscales were obtained in the following order: Helplessness and Passiveness, Nicotine, Lack of Planfulness, Alcohol, Transgression, Psychoactive Substances, Personal and Social Neglects and Poor Health Maintenance. It can be assumed that nicotine, a legal psychoactive substance, acts as a substitute. While a one-factor solution resulted from factor analysis for healthy people, the patient sample was best described by a two-factor solution (I: Risky Health Neglects, II: Helplessness). The intensity of the indirect self-destructiveness syndrome in individuals treated because of drug addiction was situated close to the upper limit of average results. The highest scores for subscales were related to Helplessness and Passiveness as well as Nicotine, and the lowest to Poor Health Maintenance. The index of Psychoactive Substances turned out to be low.