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Markers for Severity of Problems in Interpersonal Relationships of Crack Cocaine Users from a Brazilian Multicenter Study

Psychiatric Quarterly volume 89, pages 923–936 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Crack cocaine users frequently report difficulties regarding having healthy and rewarding relationships. Factors other than the use of crack cocaine itself may be at play when it comes to being able to develop healthier connections with partners, adult relatives and close friends. To verify which factors, including demographics, substance abuse related factors and psychiatric comorbidities could be markers for a higher severity of problems in interpersonal relationships of crack cocaine users seeking for treatment. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted between April 2011 and November 2012. Participants were 407 crack cocaine users seeking treatment in specialized public facilities of six Brazilian capitals. The relationship of severity of problems in the family/social area and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, exposure to stressful events, substance use related factors and practice of illicit activities were explored through multivariate analyses. Number of days using crack cocaine in the last 30 days, age of first time using alcohol and feeling its effects, a diagnosis of alcohol abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, antisocial personality disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were significantly associated with a higher severity of problems in interpersonal relationships with partners, adult relatives and friends. Problems in interpersonal relationships are strongly related to specific psychiatric comorbidities and the frequency of crack cocaine use. Factors identified by this study can make the paths to recovery more challenging. These results support psychosocial interventions that focus in the improvement of interpersonal relationships of crack cocaine users.

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Contributors

All authors have seen, approved, and contributed significantly to this manuscript. More specifically, draft writing, editing and critical review was carried out by MPP, JNS, LVD, FP, FHPK, RMMA; Study conception, study design and data collection was carried out by MPP, JNS, FP, FHPK; LSPG and MPP carried out the data analysis.

Role of Funding Source

Data collection was supported by the Brazilian National Secretariat on Drug Policies. A study grant from CAPES of the Federal Brazilian Government was awarded to Mayra Pacheco Pachado. The funding bodies did not play a role in the design of the study, analysis and interpretation of the data, or writing of the manuscript.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 33085261, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600/SALA- Bairro Santa Cecilia, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP: 90035-003, Brazil

    Mayra Pacheco Pachado & Rosa Maria Martins de Almeida

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Juliana Nichterwitz Scherer, Lisia von Diemen, Flavio Pechansky & Felix Henrique Paim Kessler

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Statistics, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciano Santos Pinto Guimarães

Authors
  1. Mayra Pacheco Pachado
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  2. Juliana Nichterwitz Scherer
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  3. Luciano Santos Pinto Guimarães
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  4. Lisia von Diemen
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  5. Flavio Pechansky
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  6. Felix Henrique Paim Kessler
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  7. Rosa Maria Martins de Almeida
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Correspondence to Rosa Maria Martins de Almeida.

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Pachado, M.P., Scherer, J.N., Guimarães, L.S.P. et al. Markers for Severity of Problems in Interpersonal Relationships of Crack Cocaine Users from a Brazilian Multicenter Study. Psychiatr Q 89, 923–936 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-018-9590-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-018-9590-7

Keywords

  • Crack cocaine
  • Psychosocial aspects
  • Substance use-related disorders
  • Comorbidity