Locus of control and heroin addiction in a methadone maintenance setting

Abstract

This study examined whether Locus of Control, a personality variable measured by using Julian Rotter's Internal-External scale, was able to predict treatment outcome for 220 heroin users attending an out patient methadone maintenance clinic operated by Albert Einstein College of Medicine, located in the Bronx, New York. The Internal-External scale was administered to patients at the time of program entry prior to the onset of treatment. This study tested the hypothesis that central scorers on the I-E scale would do significantly better in their recovery efforts than scorers in the internal or external ranges. Outcome was assessed after six months of program participation by measuring the frequency of illicit drug use, and by the number of clinic visits respondents were required to make each week.;In addition to the personality variable, Locus of Control, other predictors of outcome were examined as well. Demographic variables present at the time of program entry were considered for their predictive value. A patient's age, ethnicity, education, marital status, employment, age of first heroin use, and the amount of money currently being spent for heroin, were all considered separately and as an aggregate for their ability to predict treatment outcome. It was hypothesized that older, married, employed, better educated patients who began drug use later in life, and were members of the social ethnic majority, would do better in treatment.;Using multiple regression analysis it was possible to determine the direct and indirect effect of the variables on outcome. Based on the data, the study found that respondent's central I-E scores were not significantly correlated with outcome. Also, no direct effect on outcome was predicted by the cluster of pretreatment demographic variables. However, individual demographic characteristics were seen to have a significant correlation with outcome: single respondents were found to have less illicit abuse than married respondents; white respondents had less frequent illicit abuse than non-white respondents. Lastly, there was no significant correlation between I-E scores and frequency of clinic visits.