[Frontal symptoms in substance abusers under treatment using the Spanish version of the Frontal System Behaviour Scale].
OBJECTIVE
There are different studies that suggest a relationship between frontal symptoms and substance addiction. The Frontal System Behavior Scale is a questionnaire used to consider the manifestations of three frontal syndromes: executive dysfunction, apathy and lack of inhibition.


METHODS
The Spanish version of the Frontal System Behavior Scale (FrSBe-Sp) is administered to 215 addicted individuals starting treatment and to 267 nonclinical participants. The FrSBe-Sp is a self-administered questionnaire of 46 items that evaluate the three syndromes afore- mentioned, in an estimation of baseline (before substance use) and in a present estimation (after substance consumption).


RESULTS
The questionnaire shows suitable psychometric properties and convergent validity with another similar questionnaire (DEX-Sp). Statistically significant differences appear between the scores of the addicted individuals compared with the group control at the baseline, as well as, specially, the present time.


CONCLUSIONS
The results point out the fact that possibly the alterations of frontal character were previous. Maybe they acted as some kind of risk factors at the beginning of substance use. Also, they have significantly increased during the phase of active substance use. The FrSBe-Sp seems to be a good instrument to explore, both synchronically and diachronically, symptoms of frontal type related to addictive behaviors. New hypotheses of special relevance for treatment of addictive behaviors are suggested.
Pedrero-Pérez
E J
EJ
Centro de Atención a Drogodependientes (CAD 4), Madrid Salud, Madrid, España.
Ruiz-Sánchez de León
J M
JM
Llanero-Luque
M
M
Rojo-Mota
G
G
Olivar-Arroyo
A
A
Puerta-García
C
C
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires