@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2383-3483    Journal of Police Medicine 2019;8(2):81-85

Background
.... [1-4]. Addiction as a physical and psychological disorder affects a considerable number of people in the world, and in particular Iran. Most importantly, it threatens the quality of life and the values that are acceptable to all the society. The harmful effects of addiction and drug abuse can be attributed to stress and individual neurological states, marital dissatisfaction of addicts and their spouses, family life and sexual relations, anxiety, depression and general health [5].
Previous Studies
Despite the adoption of extensive measures to avoid drug abuse, the relatively high rate of recurrence and negative consequences after leaving and ending treatment is a matter of concern. In fact, the time after treatment is described as a critical period. It seems that treatment programs and care can help maintain the benefits of treatment and reduce the risk of recurrence or other behavioral problems [6]. ... [7]. In recent years, the concept of quality of life and mental health have been considered as important indicators for the assessment of individual health, decision making and judgment about the general health of the community and the finding of major problems in various aspects of the life of individuals in medical science research [8]. The topic of stress and coping strategies are of the first issues that have been empirically investigated in the last fifty years, which has led to numerous and widespread research on how to deal with it. The results of some studies indicate that the methods or strategies that individuals demonstrate in responding to stressful stimuli play an important role in the probability of being victimized or captured. Another study has also shown that people who use appropriate strategies to control their problems are less likely to have psychological problems, while those who use emotional or avoidance strategies are more likely to exposed to emotional exhaustion and alteration attitudes [9].
Aim(s)
The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of stress coping training on the quality of life and mental health of addicted people leaving addiction in the clinic called “Pelak Aval” in Tehran.
Research type
The present study is a pre-test-post-test design with control group.
Research society, place and time
This research was carried out in the families of addicts (spouse, children over 18 years old and parents living with the addict) who are leaving the addiction in a center of leaving addiction, Called Pelak Aval, in Tehran in the fall of 2017.
Sampling method and number
According to Morgan's table, the sample size was 92 people who were randomly selected. After initial screening, 62 had no entry criteria (mental health and low quality of life). 30 individuals were randomly divided into two groups of control and experimental (n = 15 in each group).
Used devices&materials
Goldberg & Hilier Mental Health Questionnaires, Quality of Life Questionnaire, and General Health Questionnaire were used for data collection. The Goldberg and Hilier Mental Health Questionnaire has 28 questions in 4 subscales, each of which has 7 questions [10]. Questions 1-7 relate to the scale of physical symptoms. Items 8 to 14 study the symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorders, and items 15 to 21 are related to the assessment of signs of social function; finally, items 22 to 28 measure the symptoms of depression. To sum up, the scores of zero, 1, 2, and 3 are given to options a, b, c, and d, respectively. In each subscale, the score above 6 and the total score above 22 indicate the symptoms of problem. Quality of Life Questionnaire: has a total of 26 questions. In a study in Tehran [11], the validity and reliability of this questionnaire were evaluated and the reliability for the subscales of physical health, mental health, social relationship, and environmental health was 0.77, 0.77, 0.75 and 0.84 respectively.. The experimental group received the intervention of stress coping in 8 sessions of 90 minutes in 2 months (Table 1) and the control group did not receive any interventions. The variance matrices were analyzed using the MANCOVA test [15] in SPSS 20 Software.
Findings by Text
46.6% of the participants had education less than diploma; 30.6% had diploma education; 20.1% had associate and undergraduate degrees, and 2.7% had graduate degrees. 3.1 % of participants were between 20 and 25 years old; 22.6% were between 25 and 30 years old; 34.4% were between 30 and 35 years old and 39.9% were above 35 years old. Mean mental health score in the experimental group was 26.33 ± 4.51 in the pretest and changed to 18.80 ± 0. 49 in the posttest and in the control group it was 27.14 ± 4.37 in the pretest and changed to 25.27 ± 0.49 in the Posttest. Stress coping intervention had a significant effect on mental health (F (1, 26) =84.19; 2η =0.76; p=0.01). The mean score of quality of life in the experimental group was 30.11 ± 5.13 in the pretest and 44.14 ± 1.38 in the post-test. In the control group, it was 29.06 ± 4.42 in the pretest to 29.99 ± 1.38 in the posttest. The stress coping intervention had a significant effect on improving quality of life (F (1, 28) =67.86; 2η =0.72; p=0.01).
Main comparison to the similar studies
... [16, 17]. Studies on the causes of drug abuse and addiction emphasize the relationship between stress, coping and addiction, and considers drug use as a dysfunctional coping style in stressful situations, which can act as a defective cycle and the cause of continuation of consumption; therefore, stress is a known risk factor for addiction and vulnerability to recurrence of addiction. Addiction is one of the risk factors for mental health for the addicted person and those who are in direct contact with the addict (family members). Recovery and retention mechanisms and the level of psychological coordination of drug addicts are reduced due to the harm caused by addiction, because their ability is reduced and they fail to play social roles and do not have the necessary flexibility in the face of difficult situations. Basically, family efficiency refers to its ability to deal with psychological pressures, conflicts, and problems. The results of this study showed that coping with stress affects the quality of life and mental health. The first finding of this study showed that stress coping training was effective on the quality of life of the addicted people who are leaving addiction in the clinic “Pelak Aval” in Tehran. The second finding of this study showed that stress coping training was effective on the mental health of the addict's family, which is consistent with the researches performed in this field [18-20].
Suggestions
In order to achieve the preventive goals of social harm in the area of drug addiction, it is suggested that an understanding be reached between the Counter Narcotics Police and the Iranian Welfare Organization so that it can be achieved through cooperation and transfer of experiences through effective ways of educating the families of addicts. It is also possible to take effective action in this regard by providing more and more constructive interaction between the scientific and educational drug department of Amin Police University with the Iranian Psychology Organization in order to create more opportunities for the schemes of drug addicts' treatment and their families.
Limitations
This study, like other studies, has limitations. Since only one addiction treatment clinic has been used in this study, due to the controversies in responding to the questionnaires, as well as the lack of control of the variables that may in some way distort the results, generalization of the results should be cautious.
Conclusions
Stress coping training has an impact on the quality of life and mental health of addicts' families, and this method can be used to reduce the psychological problems of addicted family members.
Acknowledgments
In the end, we thank all the loved ones who helped us with this research, especially the staff of the “Pelak Aval” Clinic in Tehran and other friends.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
Non-declared
Funding Sources
This research has been carried out without the financial support of a particular organization.

TABLES and CHARTS

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