PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF FREQUENCY AND TYPE OF DRUG-USE AMONG JAILINMATES

The comorbidity of drug abuse and various forms of psychopathology is pervasive and well documented. In particular, the incidence of depress ion, anxiety, and antisocial personality disorder is high among substa nce abusers relative to non-drug abusers. Offender populations have a high rate of substance abuse, and some studies suggest that the incide nce of psychopathology may be even greater than in other drug using gr oups. In order to identify specific types of psychopathology as they r elate to drug preferences and frequency of use among drug-using offend ers, arrestees at the Baltimore City Detention Center were examined. D uring extensive interviews, drug-abusing arrestees provided informatio n pertaining to their backgrounds, childhood histories, biological rel atives, present behaviors, and criminal and drug histories. Additional ly, several psychological inventories were administered to evaluate th e presence of depression, anxiety, psychopathy, and impulsivity. Resul ts indicate that the frequency with which subjects reported using spec ific drugs and drug of choice were significantly associated with parti cular measures of psychopathology. A composite measure of psychopathy was especially related to the frequency of alcohol, marijuana, and coc aine use. Subjects who reported using cocaine on a frequent basis scor ed high on measures of hostility and reported committing more property crimes, while violent crimes were more likely to be reported by subje cts scoring high on the measure of psychopathy. Other noteworthy findi ngs will be discussed along with the limitations of this study.