PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS OF TREATMENT-SEEKING HIV-DEPENDENT WOMEN(PREGNANT DRUG)

Pregnant, drug dependent women present for treatment with a variety of medical and psychosocial issues. When medical sequelae include HIV in fection, effective medical and psychosocial management is essential fo r both mother and fetus/infant. To better understand and characterize this high-risk population, the present study examined personality feat ures and psychopathology in a sample of HIV+, pregnant, drug dependent women. Personality was assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Perso nality Inventory-Revised (MMPI-2). The mean MMPI-2 codetype, (6-8), al though relatively rare in standard drug treatment settings, characteri zed nearly one-fifth of study participants. The 6-8 codetype is typica lly associated with unusual thought processes, feelings of hostility a nd suspiciousness as well as apathy, which may mask symptoms of nervou sness, anxiety and depression. Treatment implications of study finding s are discussed.