NCJ Number
155844
Journal
International Journal of the Addictions Volume: 24 Issue: 9 Dated: (1989) Pages: 881-896
Date Published
1989
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Data from 240 male heroin addicts admitted to the California Civil Addict Program were analyzed to determine if incarceration before or after first drug use, a behavioral marker termed sequence, was significantly related to Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) profile scores; this relationship was examined separately for whites and Chicanos.
Abstract
MMPI profiles and resulting high point codes of the sample were analyzed with two modifications. One modification was that depressed psychopaths were separated from primary psychopaths to form their own subtype. Another modification was that many addicts who would have been unclassified were classified as schizoid psychopaths. Results indicated that white addicts incarcerated before they first used drugs had significantly elevated scores for paranoia and schizophrenia, two scales of the psychotic triad. A significant sequence-by-ethnicity interaction was found in which the sequence effect was not manifested in Chicago addicts. Clinical implications of the study findings are discussed. 27 references, 5 tables, and 1 figure