Cognitive factors in social adaptation of opium addicts in remission

Abstract

Given significant influence of factors contributing or preventing social adaptation of drug addicts after termination of drug abuse on the stabilization of remission, their study is quite a challenge. To study cognitive factors in social adaptation of opium addicts in remission, a patient's ability to predict people's behavior in various everyday situations, to discern intentions, feelings and emotional states of a person by non-verbal and verbal expression we used M. Sullivan's method in examination of 75 opium addicts at the Republican Tertiary Detox Center.

More than 80% of the patients demonstrated low scores in a number of subtests, such as “a story to be completed”, “a verbal expression” and “a story to be extended”. That was the evidence for the patients’ poor understanding association between behavior and its consequences, which can cause them to get into conflict or dangerous situations. The patients had poor ability to understand changes in initial meanings of verbal reactions by the context of the situation caused. They poorly discerned various meanings one and the same verbal messages may have by the character of relationships between people and peculiarities of communication. Even during the period of prolonged withdrawal, the patients are found to poorly discern associations between behavior and outcomes, to misunderstand character of social relationships, and find it difficult to predict people's behavior. All above makes difficult the process of interaction with the persons surrounding them, reduces possibilities for social adaptation, prevent stabilization of remission and poses the risk of the addiction recurrence.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.