Acceptance and commitment therapy for drug abuse in incarcerated women / Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso para el abuso de sustancias en mujeres encarceladas

Background: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is the third wave therapy with the greatest empirical evidence in the treatment of drug abuse. Method: Thirty-one women with substance use disorder (SUD) were randomly assigned to two conditions, an intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and a control group on a waiting list. All participants were assessed three times (before treatment, at the end, and at a six-month follow-up) using urinalysis, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). Results: After 16 ACT intervention sessions, abstinence rates of 27.8% were observed, increasing to 43.8% after six months. The treatment also promoted improvements in other areas, such as reductions in the percentage of comorbid psychopathology and anxiety sensitivity, and the increase of psychological flexibility, which, in general, were not documented in the comparison group. Conclusions: Clinical gains were achieved, and we consider ACT to be an effective and appropriate treatment to be applied in the prison context (AU)

Antecedentes: la Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso (ACT) es una de las terapias de tercera generación que cuenta con mayor evidencia empírica en el tratamiento del abuso de sustancias (TUS). Método: treinta y un mujeres con TUS fueron asignadas al azar a dos condiciones: un tratamiento de 16 sesiones con base en ACT y un grupo de control en lista de espera. Todas fueron evaluadas en 3 momentos (pre, post y al cabo de seis meses de recibir el tratamiento) mediante analíticas de orina, la Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), el Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6), el Índice de sensibilidad a la Ansiedad y el Cuestionario de Aceptación y Acción (AAQ-II). Resultados: tras la intervención, se observó un porcentaje de abstinencia del 27,8% y del 43,8% al cabo de seis meses. La intervención también provocó mejorías en otras áreas, como reducciones en los porcentajes de psicopatología asociada y de sensibilidad a la ansiedad, así como aumento de la flexibilidad psicológica, que, en general, no se documentaron en el grupo de comparación. Conclusiones: se discuten estas ganancias clínicas y se ofrece ACT como un tratamiento apropiado para ser dispensado en mujeres reclusas con trastorno por abuso de sustancias (AU)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for drug abuse in incarcerated women.

BACKGROUND: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is the third wave therapy with the greatest empirical evidence in the treatment of drug abuse. METHOD: Thirty-one women with substance use disorder (SUD) were randomly assigned to two conditions, an intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and a control group on a waiting list. All participants were assessed three times (before treatment, at the end, and at a six-month follow-up) using urinalysis, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6), the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). RESULTS: After 16 ACT intervention sessions, abstinence rates of 27.8% were observed, increasing to 43.8% after six months. The treatment also promoted improvements in other areas, such as reductions in the percentage of comorbid psychopathology and anxiety sensitivity, and the increase of psychological flexibility, which, in general, were not documented in the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical gains were achieved, and we consider ACT to be an effective and appropriate treatment to be applied in the prison context.

Perfil adictivo, delictivo y psicopatológico de una muestra de mujeres en prisión / Addictive, criminal and psychopathological profile of a sample of women in prison

En este estudio se analiza el perfil adictivo, delictivo y psicopatológico de una muestra de 59 mujeres encarceladas en el Centro Penitenciario (C.P.) de Villabona (Asturias). Para ello se administraron los instrumentos EuropASI, SCL-90-R y una entrevista semiestructurada. Los resultados mostraron que se trata de una mujer joven, soltera y con carga familiar que cumple una condena media de 5 años de encarcelamiento. Del total de la muestra, el 64.4% presentaron criterios para un trastorno por abuso de sustancias. Se halló una relación estadísticamente significativa entre las variables consumo-no consumo y tipo de delito, siendo las mujeres consumidoras las que más delitos contra la propiedad y contra el orden socioeconómico habían cometido. Respecto a la psicopatología, el 44.06% de la muestra cumplía los requisitos de caso clínico de acuerdo a los criterios de Derogatis (1994). Los resultados del SCL-90-R mostraron que los trastornos psicológicos predominantes eran, en este orden, la depresión, la somatización, el trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo y la ideación paranoide. Además, en el grupo de mujeres consumidoras, el 47.4% presentaba patología dual. Se puso en evidencia la relación estadísticamente significativa entre caso clínico y consumo de sustancias. Por último, se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los grupos consumo-no consumo de drogas en el perfil de gravedad del EuropASI. Fueron el área médica, familiar y psiquiátrica del grupo consumo las que mayores puntuaciones presentaron (AU)

This study examines the addictive, criminal and psychopathological profile of a sample of 59 women incarcerated in the Villabona prisonin Asturias (a region in northern Spain). The instruments administered were the EuropASI, the SCL-90-R and a semi-structured interview. Results showed that the profile is a young, single women with family dependents serving an average of 5 years’ imprisonment. Of the total sample, 64.4% met criteria for a substance abuse disorder. We found a statistically significant relationship between the variables use-nonuse and type of crime: women who used substances had committed the most crimes against property and against the socioeconomic order. As regards psychopathology, 44.06% of the sample fulfilled the requirements for clinical case according to Derogatis’ (1994) criteria. The results of theSCL-90-R showed that the predominant psychological disorders were, in the following order, depression, somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoid ideation. Moreover, in the group of female users, 47.4% had dual pathology. Our results revealed a statistically significant relationship between clinical case and substance use. Finally, statistically significant differences were found between the user and nonuser groups in the EuropASI severity profile. Highest scores were found for the medical, psychiatric and family areas in the user group (AU)

[Addictive, criminal and psychopathological profile of a sample of women in prison]. / Perfil adictivo, delictivo y psicopatológico de una muestra de mujeres en prisión.

This study examines the addictive, criminal and psychopathological profile of a sample of 59 women incarcerated in the Villabona prison in Asturias (a region in northern Spain). The instruments administered were the EuropASI, the SCL-90-R and a semi-structured interview. Results showed that the profile is a young, single women with family dependents serving an average of 5 years' imprisonment. Of the total sample, 64.4% met criteria for a substance abuse disorder. We found a statistically significant relationship between the variables use-nonuse and type of crime: women who used substances had committed the most crimes against property and against the socioeconomic order. As regards psychopathology, 44.06% of the sample fulfilled the requirements for clinical case according to Derogatis' (1994) criteria. The results of the SCL-90-R showed that the predominant psychological disorders were, in the following order, depression, somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoid ideation. Moreover, in the group of female users, 47.4% had dual pathology. Our results revealed a statistically significant relationship between clinical case and substance use. Finally, statistically significant differences were found between the user and nonuser groups in the EuropASI severity profile. Highest scores were found for the medical, psychiatric and family areas in the user group.