DRUG-ADDICTION AS A LIFE-STYLE - THE USE OF A NEW SCALE TO OBSERVE CHANGES IN SENSE OF COHERENCE

Drug addict rehabilitation programs receive a small proportion of the funds made available through the social welfare system. Emphasis has t raditionally been placed on the pathological rather than the salutogen ic elements of an addicted lifestyle. A new test of a person's sense o f coherence in life (Antonovsky's 9-item Sense of Coherence scale) may be of interest in rehabilitation work with drug addicts, and in focus ing more attention on this aspect of addiction treatment. Thirty drug addicts in treatment and rehabilitation and 10 former drug addicts wer e interviewed using the 9-item Sense of Coherence scale. The results o btained were compared to a well known test of distress, the 24-item Sy mptom Checklist. Drug addicts in treatment facilities had significantl y lower mean scores on the 9-item Sense of Coherence scale (2.3) and h igher scores on the 24-item Symptom Checklist (2.3) than both drug add icts in rehabilitatively oriented institutions (3.3 and 1.6) and the l ong-term rehabilitated non-using former drug addicts (4.2 and 1.5 resp ectively). The differences between the group in rehabilitation and the former drug addicts were also statistically significant. The levels o f the two psychometric tests suggested a gradual movement towards norm al values and an increased sense of meaning in life among the former d rug addicts, contrary to findings by other researchers. The length of time before these tests return to normal values may exceed the observa tion period often used in follow-up at treatment facilities. Increased social welfare may follow if a disclosure of salutogenic possibilitie s in drug addicts is obtained. Further prospective research is, howeve r, necessary to confirm our findings.