Relapse precipitants in addictions:results in a therapeutic community.
In this paper, a study examining high-risk situations for relapse is presented. The sample consisted of 72 participants (51 male and 21 female) who had relapsed after having received a residential psychological treatment for drug addition in a therapeutic community in Spain. In order to analyze what personal, environmental or social factors were the most immediate triggers of relapse, a personal interview, using the Relapse Interview, was administered to each one of the relapsed patients. Results showed that most of the relapses took place during the first year after completing the treatment program. Likewise, the factors most frequently cited for relapse were the following: to cope with negative emotional states (49.5%), to be unable to resist temptations or impulses to consume (17.5%), to test personal control (10.3%) and to cope with interpersonal conflicts (9.3%). Results indicate thatmost factors were of an intrapersonal nature. Implications of these results for further research and clinical practice are commented upon.
Fernández-Montalvo
Javier
J
Departamento de Psicología, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Campus de Arrosadía, Pamplona, Spain. fernandez.montalvo@unavarra.es
López-Goñi
José
J
Illescas
Cristina
C
Landa
Natalia
N
Lorea
Inaki
I
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012008:Recurrence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*