BACKGROUND: Substance abuse continues to be a major public health problem. Keeping substance abusers in treatment is a challenge, and researchers continue to investigate ways to increase retention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between impulsivity in substance abusers and length of stay in the context of therapeutic community. METHODS: The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale- 11 (BIS-11) was used to assess impulsivity in 138 substance abusers at admission and at nine months in a therapeutic community. RESULTS: Impulsivity significantly decreased in subjects who completed nine months in the therapeutic community. Legal stipulation increased length of stay, on average, by three months. On admission, female participants were on average more impulsive than their male counterparts. CONCLUSION: Impulsivity decreased in subjects who remained in therapeutic community for nine months although self-reported impulsivity at baseline did not seem to be associated with retention. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Therapeutic community factors contribute to a decrease in self-reported impulsivity and these factors might be enhanced to increase retention in therapeutic community.
BACKGROUND:Substance abuse continues to be a major public health problem. Keeping substance abusers in treatment is a challenge, and researchers continue to investigate ways to increase retention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between impulsivity in substance abusers and length of stay in the context of therapeutic community. METHODS: The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale- 11 (BIS-11) was used to assess impulsivity in 138 substance abusers at admission and at nine months in a therapeutic community. RESULTS: Impulsivity significantly decreased in subjects who completed nine months in the therapeutic community. Legal stipulation increased length of stay, on average, by three months. On admission, female participants were on average more impulsive than their male counterparts. CONCLUSION: Impulsivity decreased in subjects who remained in therapeutic community for nine months although self-reported impulsivity at baseline did not seem to be associated with retention. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Therapeutic community factors contribute to a decrease in self-reported impulsivity and these factors might be enhanced to increase retention in therapeutic community.
Authors: Ralph E Tarter; Levent Kirisci; Ada Mezzich; Jack R Cornelius; Kathleen Pajer; Michael Vanyukov; William Gardner; Timothy Blackson; Duncan Clark Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2003-06 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: David A Nielsen; Ann Ho; Ajay Bahl; Priya Varma; Scott Kellogg; Lisa Borg; Mary Jeanne Kreek Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2012-01-20 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Arnab K Dey; Nicole Ennis; Debbie M Cheng; Elena Blokhina; Anita Raj; Emily Quinn; Sally Bendiks; Tibor Palfai; Eugene M Dunne; Robert L Cook; Evgeny Krupitsky; Jeffrey H Samet Journal: AIDS Behav Date: 2022-06-16