Substance Addiction Treatment Research Articles

Examining Factors Influencing Length of Stay for Inpatients at Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the impact of impulsivity, treatment motivation, anxiety, and cognitive distortions on the duration of inpatient treatment for substance use.
 Methods: The sample for the study consisted of 200 volunteer patients receiving inpatient treatment at the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center. Participants underwent a general psychopathological evaluation using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) administered by the clinician. All participants were given the Case Report Form prepared by the clinician along with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 Short Form (BIS), Automatic Thoughts Scale (ATS), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I, STAI-II) and Treatment Motivation Questionnaire (TMQ).
 Results: A significant distinction was noted in discharge statuses when comparing scores on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and nonplaning impulsiveness subscale, and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory and Automatic Thoughts Scale. Those who were discharged with remission had notably lower scores compared to those who left voluntarily or were discharged due to rule violation (p< 0.001). Negative significant correlations were found between length of stay and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and its subscales [BIS-T (p

Alkol ve Madde Bağımlısı Olan Bireylerin Kadına Yönelik Şiddete İlişkin Tutumları

The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of alcohol and substance dependent individuals towards violence against women. This cross-sectional study was completed with n=105 patients who were followed up in the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment and Research Center of a state hospital. In this study, personal information form and ISKEBE attitudes towards violence against women scale were used as data collection tools. Among the patients diagnosed with alcohol-substance use disorder, n=53 (60.9%) were between the ages of 18-34 and n=70 (66.7%) were single. Of the patients, n=36 (52.2%) had been exposed to any type of domestic violence. The attitude scores of patients diagnosed with alcohol-substance use disorder towards violence against women were measured as 99.89 ± 22.1. In the current study, patients diagnosed with alcohol-substance use disorder who were male, lived in rural areas, had poor income status and had low educational level were found to have negatively low attitudes towards violence against women. In conclusion of this study, further studies and practices to determine and improve attitudes towards violence against women in patients diagnosed with alcohol-substance use disorder are recommended.

Diet quality, nutritional status and taste recognition are impaired in men with substance use disorder.

This study aimed to (1) evaluate the nutritional status, prevalence of malnutrition and dietary habits in individuals using substances and (2) examine the possible effects of substance use on the perception of five basic tastes. Ninety male individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) (heroin = 78, cocaine = 12) and 32 non-users participated in the study conducted at Manisa Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center (AMATEM), Turkey. To determine the quality of the diet, the mean nutrient adequacy ratio (MAR) was calculated based on 24-h recall food consumption records of the individuals. Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) was employed to determine nutritional status, and anthropometric measurements were also taken from the individuals. The taste detection and recognition thresholds were determined with solutions with different concentrations for bitter, sour, sweet, umami and salty tastes and scored, with higher scores indicating lower thresholds. Mild-moderate malnutrition was determined in 50% of the individuals with SUD based on SGA. The body mass index (BMI) of individuals with SUD was found to be 21.2 ± 1.88 kg/m2 , and 24.1 ± 1.64 kg/m2 for non-users (p < 0.001). Diet quality, evaluated by MAR, was lower in individuals with SUD (54.7 ± 18.9%) than in non-users (93.5 ± 9.0%) (p < 0.001). The taste detection and taste recognition thresholds of individuals with SUD were impaired, and the threshold scores for sour, salty, sweet and umami taste recognition were significantly lower compared with non-users, with the lowest substance user threshold scores observed for the sweet recognition threshold. Standardised nutritional and behavioural interventions designed by dietitians should be provided for drug users in treatment centres and integrated with medical treatment practices.

Chronic pain, cannabis legalisation, and cannabis use disorder among patients in the US Veterans Health Administration system, 2005 to 2019: a repeated, cross-sectional study

Cannabis use disorder is associated with considerable comorbidity and impairment in functioning, and prevalence is increasing among adults with chronic pain. We aimed to assess the effect of introduction of medical cannabis laws (MCL) and recreational cannabis laws (RCL) on the increase in cannabis use disorder among patients in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Data from patients with one or more primary care, emergency, or mental health visit to the VHA in 2005-19 were analysed using 15 repeated cross-sectional VHA electronic health record datasets (ie, one dataset per year). Patients in hospice or palliative care were excluded. Patients were stratified as having chronic pain or not using an American Pain Society taxonomy of painful medical conditions. We used staggered-adoption difference-in-difference analyses to estimate the role of MCL and RCL enactment in the increases in prevalence of diagnosed cannabis use disorder and associations with presence of chronic pain, accounting for the year that state laws were enacted. We did this by fitting a linear binomial regression model stratified by pain, with time-varying cannabis law status, fixed effects for state, categorical year, time-varying state-level sociodemographic covariates, and patient covariates (age group [18-34 years, 35-64 years, and 65-75 years], sex, and race and ethnicity). Between 2005 and 2019, 3 234 382-4 579 994 patients were included per year. Among patients without pain in 2005, 5·1% were female, mean age was 58·3 (SD 12·6) years, and 75·7%, 15·6%, and 3·6% were White, Black, and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. In 2019, 9·3% were female, mean age was 56·7 (SD 15·2) years, and 68·1%, 18·2%, and 6·5% were White, Black, and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. Among patients with pain in 2005, 7·1% were female, mean age was 57·2 (SD 11·4) years, and 74·0%, 17·8%, and 3·9% were White, Black, and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. In 2019, 12·4% were female, mean age was 57·2 (SD 13·8) years, and 65·3%, 21·9%, and 7·0% were White, Black, and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. Among patients with chronic pain, enacting MCL led to a 0·135% (95% CI 0·118-0·153) absolute increase in cannabis use disorder prevalence, with 8·4% of the total increase in MCL-enacting states attributable to MCL. Enacting RCL led to a 0·188% (0·160-0·217) absolute increase in cannabis use disorder prevalence, with 11·5% of the total increase in RCL-enacting states attributable to RCL. In patients without chronic pain, enacting MCL and RCL led to smaller absolute increases in cannabis use disorder prevalence (MCL: 0·037% [0·027-0·048], 5·7% attributable to MCL; RCL: 0·042% [0·023-0·060], 6·0% attributable to RCL). Overall, associations of MCL and RCL with cannabis use disorder were greater in patients with chronic pain than in patients without chronic pain. Increasing cannabis use disorder prevalence among patients with chronic pain following state legalisation is a public health concern, especially among older age groups. Given cannabis commercialisation and widespread public beliefs about its efficacy, clinical monitoring of cannabis use and discussion of the risk of cannabis use disorder among patients with chronic pain is warranted. NIDA grant R01DA048860, New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the VA Centers of Excellence in Substance Addiction Treatment and Education.

Pharmacological Treatment of Alcohol Cravings.

(1) Background: The treatment of substance addiction is challenging and has persisted for decades, with only a few therapeutic options. Although there are some recommendations for specific treatments for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), there is no specific medication used to treat alcohol cravings, which could benefit millions of patients that are suffering from alcoholism. Cravings, or the urge to use drugs, refer to the desire to experience the effects of a previously experienced psychoactive substance. (2) Methods: We included original studies of alcohol abuse or dependence extracted from a controlled, blind, pharmacological treatment study which presented measures and outcomes related to alcohol cravings. (3) Results: Specific drugs used for the treatment of alcoholism, such as Naltrexone and Acamprosate, have had the best results in relieving craving symptoms, as well as promoting abstinence. Baclofen and anticonvulsants such as Gabapentin and Topiramate have shown good results in promoting abstinence and the cessation of cravings. (4) Conclusions: Specific drugs used for the treatment of alcoholism to obtain the best results can be considered the gold standard for promoting abstinence and relieving cravings. Anticonvulsants and Baclofen also had good results, with these medications being considered as second-line ones. Varenicline is an option for alcohol dependents who also concomitantly ingest tobacco.

A Prospective Biopsychosocial Repeated Measures Study of Stress and Dropout from Substance Addiction Treatment.

This prospective, repeated-measures observational study tested biopsychosocial variables as risk factors for dropping out of inpatient substance addiction treatment. Substance use disorder (SUD) is viewed as a chronic relapsing disease caused by an interaction between biological, psychological, and social factors. However, there is a lack of prospective studies that combine biopsychosocial variables when assessing dropout. The aims of this study were to investigate whether there was 1) An association between biopsychosocial factors and dropping out of inpatient substance addiction treatment, 2) An interaction with SUD diagnosis and cortisol, and 3) Different dropout rates between short-term and long-term institutions. Patients (n = 173) were recruited from two inpatient treatment centers in Norway between 2018 and 2021. The following biopsychosocial variables were measured at four timepoints: ward atmosphere (Ward Atmosphere Scale, WAS), psychological distress (Hopkins Symptom Checklist 10, HSCL-10), motivation (M-scale of the Circumstances, Motivation, Readiness, and Suitability questionnaire), and concentration of salivary cortisol (CORT- nmol/L). Cortisol levels were measured for two consecutive days at each timepoint and calculated by two cortisol indices, daytime cortisol slope (DCS) and area under the curve with respect to the ground (AUCG). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to find an association between dropout rates and the biopsychosocial variables. The results suggest a lower dropout odds for patients with high motivation (OR = 0.76, p = 0.022) and patients admitted to short-term treatment (OR = 0.06, p = 0.005). An interaction with stimulant SUD and DCS (OR = 13.74, p = 0.024) also revealed higher dropout odds. No statistical significance was found for psychological distress, WAS, and cortisol AUCG. The results support monitoring motivation during treatment and further investigating biopsychosocial variables when assessing dropout risk together with SUD diagnosis.

Improved HHT-microstate analysis of EEG in nicotine addicts.

Substance addiction is a chronic disease which causes great harm to modern society and individuals. At present, many studies have applied EEG analysis methods to the substance addiction detection and treatment. As a tool to describe the spatio-temporal dynamic characteristics of large-scale electrophysiological data, EEG microstate analysis has been widely used, which is an effective method to study the relationship between EEG electrodynamics and cognition or disease. To study the difference of EEG microstate parameters of nicotine addicts at each frequency band, we combine an improved Hilbert Huang Transformation (HHT) decomposition with microstate analysis, which is applied to the EEG of nicotine addicts. After using improved HHT-Microstate method, we notice that there is significant difference in EEG microstates of nicotine addicts between viewing smoke pictures group (smoke) and viewing neutral pictures group (neutral). Firstly, there is a significant difference in EEG microstates at full-frequency band between smoke and neutral group. Compared with the FIR-Microstate method, the similarity index of microstate topographic maps at alpha and beta bands had significant differences between smoke and neutral group. Secondly, we find significant class × group interactions for microstate parameters at delta, alpha and beta bands. Finally, the microstate parameters at delta, alpha and beta bands obtained by the improved HHT-microstate analysis method are selected as features for classification and detection under the Gaussian kernel support vector machine. The highest accuracy is 92% sensitivity is 94% and specificity is 91%, which can more effectively detect and identify addiction diseases than FIR-Microstate and FIR-Riemann methods. Thus, the improved HHT-Microstate analysis method can effectively identify substance addiction diseases and provide new ideas and insights for the brain research of nicotine addiction.

Characteristics of substance-addicted mothers that predict graduation from the family treatment court.

In the United States, substance addiction is a major contributing factor to incarceration of mothers and separation of children from their families. Five hundred Family Treatment Courts (FTC) operate across the country to combat the growing problem of women addicted to drugs. The FTC model provides mothers with substance addiction treatment, intensive judicial monitoring, repeated drug testing, counseling, incentives or sanctions, and case management with the goal of reaching long-term sobriety and reunification with their children. This retrospective study examined the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and substance use characteristics, in predicting participants' graduations from the FTC program. Data were gathered from 317 participants from five Family Treatment Courts in the southeastern United States and analyzed using logistic regression. Participants who completed the FTC program were more likely to be older, completed Cognitive Behavioral Training, completed high school, and Caucasian. Age and completion of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy were the greatest predictors of graduating from the Family Treatment Court. These results convey the need for development of interventions tailored to each participant's age to maximize the success of the FTC participants. In addition, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy should be integrated into all FTC programs. The findings from this study will offer research scholars a foundation for designing future studies, aid researchers in creating interventions to increase success in substance addiction treatment programs, and contribute to the framework for theory development. In addition, understanding characteristics that may influence graduation from the Family Treatment Court will provide valuable information on developing interventions to support participants' success.

Comparative Studies of Substance Use Disorder and Addiction Treatment Strategies in India and Developed Countries

Comparative Studies of Substance Use Disorder and Addiction Treatment Strategies in India and Developed Countries

Relationship between Depression and Cognitive Inhibition in Men with Heroin or Methamphetamine Use Disorder in First-Time Mandatory Detoxification

Previous studies have shown that males with substance use disorder (SUD) in their first mandatory detoxification experience high rates of depression. It is unknown whether this high depression incidence contributes to impaired inhibition. In this work, two studies were undertaken to examine the role of depression in cognitive inhibition in heroin and methamphetamine withdrawal. We used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the self-control scale (SCS) to explore the relationship between depression and impulse inhibition in patients participating in mandatory drug treatment for the first time (Study 1). The results showed that depression negatively predicted impulse inhibition. The Stroop color-word interference task was used to explore the role of patients' depression in their inhibitory abilities (Study 2). The results showed that the high-depression group had weaker inhibition performances in the Stroop color-word interference task compared to the low-depression group. This study shows that cognitive inhibition is weaker in people with high-depression addiction than in those with low depression. This result suggests that attention should be paid to the role of depressive comorbidity when conducting working memory training treatment for substance addiction.

56.3 “Would You Say My Child Is Addicted?”: Lending Principles of Addiction Treatment to Families and Adolescents Worried About Social Media

Social media use is nearly ubiquitous among adolescents and is increasingly a primary means of communication and information exchange among peers. Without current consensus, whether social media use can become an addiction has been debated and is at times warmly contested. A lack of clarity around terminology and criteria can leave providers uneasy about how to assess and address problematic or compulsive social media use. By the end of this presentation, attendees will: 1) understand current diagnostic categories (or lack thereof) around problematic internet and social media use; 2) increase comfort in screening for problematic social media use; 3) appreciate opportunities to utilize generalizable, core substance use and addiction treatment strategies for adolescents impacted by problematic social media use; and 4) recognize tools for guiding parents who feel that their children have problematic social media use.

Role of Melatonin in the Management of Substance Addiction: A Systematic Review.

Recent evidence links melatonin hormone and its receptor to the etiology and behavioral manifestation of addiction. The role of exogenous melatonin in addiction treatment is still inconsistent and unclear. The present study aimed to review the literature on randomized clinical trials that evaluated the role of melatonin supplementation, compared to placebo, in the treatment of various substance addictions. The literature searches of relevant articles published in the English language in MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases were performed from inception up to May 2021. We included only randomized clinical trials investigating the effect of melatonin treatment, compared to placebo, on substance addiction-related parameters. Non-randomized clinical trials, observation studies, and animal studies were excluded. The risk of bias-2 was used to assess the quality of the studies. Of 537 articles, 12 randomized control trials (RCT) met our inclusion criteria. Studies have been conducted on substances of addiction including benzodiazepine (BZD), alcohol, nicotine, and opioids. Our results indicated that melatonin treatment had mixed results in improving sleep quality and was not found beneficial in BDZ cessation/discontinuation rate among patients with BDZ dependence. Sleep quality and mental health had improved by melatonin supplements in opioid addiction. In nicotine addiction, melatonin treatment showed effectiveness only on mood changes but not in performance tests. In patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), melatonin treatment did not show any improvement in sleep quality. We found that the use of exogenous melatonin in substance addiction has mixed results which do not provide sufficient evidence, relative to randomized clinical trials, to establish its role.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in Inpatients for Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment in the Psychiatry Clinic of a Private Hospital

Aim: Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections pose a serious health problem in our country as well as all over the world. The main transmission routes of these agents include parenteral contact with infected blood or body fluids (percutaneous injury), sexual transmission, and contact with blood and body fluids of infected people. Accordingly, people with drug abuse are an important risk group for these infections. The number of studies in this field in Turkish context is limited. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV in inpatients for alcohol and substance addiction treatment in a private hospital psychiatry clinic.&#x0D; Materials-Methods: This retrospective study relied on the files of the patients who were hospitalized in the Alcohol and Substance Treatment Clinic in the sense that the results of HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV parameters were evaluated retrospectively from the hospital automation system.&#x0D; Results: Of the 568 patient included in the study, 154 (27.1%) were female, 414 (72.9%) were male, and the mean age was 35 (18-88). Findings revealed that 7 (1.23%) of the patients were positive for HBsAg, 229 (40.4%) for anti-HBs, and 41 (7.21%) for anti-HCV. There was no significant difference between HBsAg and Anti-HCV positivity rates by gender.&#x0D; Conclusion: In our study, anti-HCV positivity was detected at a very high rate (7.21%). It can be concluded that the evaluation of these people in terms of test accuracy with HCV RNA as well as treating the infections detected in this group with effective new generation antivirals will also be beneficial with respect to reducing the number of people who can transmit the infection.

Spirituality-Based Addiction Counseling Model Proposal: Theory and Practice

This study aims to develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of a model prepared with a crossdisciplinary approach, which includes religious and spiritual elements that could be applied in the treatment of alcohol and substance addiction, especially in the rehabilitation process. The study adopts a mixed method research design. In the qualitative part, phenomenological analysis was used. In the quantitative section, scales were used to measure the participants’ dependence. The study group included alcohol and substance addicts who were in the rehabilitation process at the Green Crescent Consultancy Center (YEDAM) and aged between 24 and 56. Initially, the participants were given Addiction Profile Index (BAPI) to determine their demographic information, addiction level, and clinical chart, which is followed by Addiction Outcome Assessment Index (AOAI) during the interview process. Within the scope of the Spirituality-Based Addiction Counseling (MTBD) model, eight different interview sessions were held with each participant for an average of 45 minutes. Then, the data were discussed and evaluated in the light of the relevant literature. Quantitative findings indicated a slow but steady improvement in the participants, with slight fluctuations, from the pre-interview to the final interview (altruism) in MTBD Model. With regard to qualitative findings, the data showed that during the first steps of the model, the participants developed an awareness of how addiction affected them psycho-socially and spiritually, and during the following steps, this awareness was significantly effective in transforming their lives. It could be claimed that the model is a motivational element that reinforces the basic treatment and rehabilitation processes in the struggle to get rid of addiction and adds religious and spiritual meaning to this process.

Faith-based intervention, change of religiosity, and abstinence of substance addicts

Objective:To investigate the effects of developing religiosity on abstinence of substance abuse among recovering addicts in a faith-based and a secular-based treatment program.Methods:Religiosity of recovering addicts was measured using the 38-item Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality at three points in time: at initiation of substance addiction treatment (wave 1), discharge from treatment (wave 2), and 6 months after treatment (wave 3). Latent growth curve modeling was used to assess the dynamic and developing effects of religiosity on after-treatment abstinence. Secular-based treatment emphasized the role of biological, psychological, and environmental determinants of substance abuse and provided detoxification interventions, such as counseling and group therapies, skill training, health care, and social support, however also relying on religious and spiritual growth to help recovery. Faith-based treatment fundamentally emphasized the Christian theory of addiction to consider substance abuse a sin caused by one’s spiritual void and separation from God, although it also acknowledged the importance of biological, psychological, and social needs of rehabilitants.Results:Recovering addicts in faith-based treatment had significantly higher levels of religiosity at each wave (intercept factor) and better religious development across the three waves (slope factor). This contributed to after-treatment abstinence and mediated the effect of treatment mode on after-treatment abstinence.Conclusion:Service practitioners and researchers should note the importance of dynamic and developing nature of religiosity in relation to the maintenance of abstinence after treatment is completed.

ВИНИКНЕННЯ ТА ЕМОЦІЙНЕ РЕГУЛЮВАННЯ РОЗЛАДІВ, ПОВ'ЯЗАНИХ З УЖИВАННЯМ ПСИХОТРОПНИХ РЕЧОВИН

The present article focuses on emotion regulation as a predictors and treatment of substance addictions, the scope of this theoretical review is in response to the problematic issue of emotional dysregulation and its intergenerational trauma among families with substance use disorders. It is emphasized that substance dependence is a disorder characterized by a disturbance in the regulation of emotional processes. It has been found that the use of drugs in order to quickly relieve emotional pain acts as a very strong negative reinforcer and disrupts the foundations of the development of emotional management in the consumer. Of course, the children of these families do not learn emotional skills through modeling sick behavior and have difficulty in regulating and managing their emotions. Therefore, the importance of emotional skills and strengthening the management of emotions in the context of restoring emotional maturity and mental health has been investigated as one of the important tools for addiction recovery and the mental health of substance addictions and their children. In the field of emotional management psychotherapy, two classic forms of addiction treatment, which are Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), have been examined and compared. The two main known components of CBT for addiction, cognitive-behavioral therapy and functional analysis and training, are generally known to be effective in managing negative emotions. The two main known components of CBT for addiction, cognitive-behavioral therapy and functional analysis and skill training, are generally known to be effective in managing negative emotions. By analyzing specific emotional disorders among substance users' families, these emotional problems have been identified and classified, and in this regard, investigated why skills through emotion regulation therapy (ERT) is a vital part of addiction treatment.

Is There an Association Between Salivary Cortisol and Dropping Out of Inpatient Substance Addiction Treatments? A Prospective Repeated Measures Study.

Several studies have found an association between salivary cortisol levels and dropping out of inpatient substance addiction treatment programs. The results are mixed due to variations in the study design and the lack of standardized routines for cortisol assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was (1) an association between salivary cortisol levels and dropping out from inpatient substance addiction treatments; (2) higher predictive validity for dropout in one of the cortisol indexes: Area Under the Curve with respect to ground (AUCG) or Daily Cortisol Slope (DCS); (3) an interaction effect with time for each cortisol index; and (4) different dropout rates for sex and patients in short-term versus long-term treatment programs. This was a prospective, repeated-measures observational study. Patients (n = 173) were recruited from 2 inpatient facilities in the central region of Norway between 2018 and 2021. Salivary cortisol was measured 4 times during the treatment period, with 8 samples collected over 2 consecutive days at each time point. Cortisol levels were calculated using the cortisol indices AUCG and DCS. Dropout was used as the outcome measure at each time point. Associations were calculated using a logistic linear regression. The results suggest a main effect of AUCG, whereby higher levels reduce dropout risk (OR = 0.92, P = .047). An interaction with time in treatment also revealed a higher dropout risk (OR = 1.09, P = .044) during week 4 of the treatment, depending on the AUCG. These results support using AUCG as the recommended index when assessing cortisol, and that the relationship between cortisol levels and length of treatment should be further investigated.

The Relationship Between Anti-HCV Screening and Clinical Features of Inpatients in Addiction Center.

In this study, it was aimed to screen inpatients in the Antalya Ataturk State Hospital Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center (AMATEM) Clinic in terms of anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) seropositivity and to compare them in terms of sociodemographic data and clinical characteristics. The files of inpatients in the AMATEM Clinic of Ataturk State Hospital between July 2020 - February 2021 were retrospectively scanned and recorded with a semi-structured data form. The collected data was analysed using the SPSS 26.0 program. Independent sample t-test was used for normally distributed numerical variables, Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed numerical variables, and chi-square test was used for categorical variables. To examine the relationship between variables showing significant difference and Anti-HCV positivity, binary logistic regression analysis was used. The limit of statistical significance was accepted as p<0.05 for all analyses. Of the 155 patients included in the study, 57.4% were diagnosed with opiate use disorder, 40% with multiple substance use disorder. The rate of multiple substance use, syringe use, syringe sharing, self-mutilation and tattoo/piercing were significantly higher in anti-HCV positive patients (p=0.02, p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.02, p=0.03 respectively). Patients who were positive for anti-HCV had been using substances for a longer time and were hospitalized more frequently, and the Addiction Profile Index substance abuse subscale scores were higher (p<0.001, p=0.001, p=0.01, respectively). The risk of exposure to HCV in patients with substance use disorder is significantly higher than non-substance user population. It is important to perform anti-HCV screening, especially for people who inject drugs to prevent under-diagnosis of the disease. Considering the risk posed by the use and sharing of syringes, it seems necessary to develop preventive and therapeutic approaches meticulously.

Relationship Between Caregivers' Care Burden and Their Social Functioning Perceptions Toward Addicted Patients: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

AimThe aim of this study is to examine the relationship between social functioning perceptions of the caregivers toward their patients, and their perceived care burden. MethodThe descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study was carried out between September 2017-September 2019 using two measurement tools, in addition to an introductory information form: the Burden Interview and Social Functioning Scale The study was conducted with caregivers of the 76 addict outpatients and inpatients of the Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center of a university hospital in Turkey. The study data were evaluated using descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis.ResultsOf the caregivers, 69.7% were female and had a mean age of 43.32 ± 13.35 years; 52.6% and 47.4% of the all caregivers provided care to substance abusers and alcohol abusers, respectively. Of the addicted individuals receiving care, 78.9% were male, 60.5% were single, and 56.6% were unemployed. The mean age of patients was found to be 35.94 ± 11.75 years, and patients had been given treatment for an average of 7.56 ± 7.26 years. It was found that as caregivers’ total mean Social Functioning Scale scores and mean subscale scores increased, their mean Burden Interview scores decreased (p > .05), though this value was not found to be statistically significant. ConclusionThese results are important to support not only the addicted individual but also their caregiver, and to conduct the related treatment and care holistically.

The Resilient Recovery from Substance Addiction: The Role of Self-transcendence Values and Hope

Background: Substance addiction is a psychosocial problem facing many people today. While the previous trend in addiction treatment was the harm reduction approach, nowadays it is fully recognized the importance of promoting human resources in order to help people to face the rehabilitation process, to prevent the risk of treatment dropout and future relapses, and to positively re-integrate them into the society. During the process of recovery from substance addiction, resilience is one of the most important protective factors against both dropouts and relapses. This study analyzed for the first time whether and the extent to which self-transcendence values (i.e., benevolence and universalism) promote resilience, considering the mediating role of hope, among patients in residential substance abuse treatment. Method: Seventy-six Italian patients in residential treatment for substance addiction (86.5% males and 13.5% females; M age = 40.23, SD = 10.88) participated to the study. Participants were asked to complete the Self-transcendence subscale from the Portrait Values Questionnaire, the Hope Scale, and the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale. Results: Findings showed that self-transcendence values were positively related to resilience and that hope fully mediated (in a positive direction) this relationship. Self-transcendence values promoted resilience through the mediating role of hope. Conclusions: This complex relationship suggests a holistic model of resilience during the process of recovery from substance addiction. Limitations of the study, practical implications, and future research developments are discussed.