title: Self-concept and completion of treatment for heroin and nonheroin drug abusers.
abstract: One hundred sixty-one veterans with a history of drug abuse were administered a battery of background questions as well as self-concept measures prior to entering a Substance Abuse Unit at the VA Hospital in Miami. Significant interaction effects were found whe a 2 X 2 analysis of variance was run using heroin/nonheroin as one factor and completer/dropout as the other. Nonheroin drug abusers who subsequently completed treatment entered the program with the lowest self-concepts, highest ideals (with respect to the self), and were most often high school dropouts. Nonheroin drug abusers who eventually dropped out of treatment entered with relatively high self-concepts, low ideals, and were more often high school graduates. On the other hand, heroin users showed the opposite trend. Heroin users who eventually completed treatment began with higher self-concepts, lower ideals, and more education than the heroin users who became dropouts. It is suggested that a generalized feeling of optimism and motivation surrounds the completer, while the dropout seems to lack such drive.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D012649:Self Concept; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation