Psychological Stress and Multi-Substance Abuse in Rural Areas
Rural areas often attract drug producers and abusers because the wide open spaces free from the observations of neighbors and enforcement officers makes drug production and drug use easier. While drug users might be drawn to live in a rural area, they may find that getting treatment once they are ready to give up a drug habit may be a challenge.
It is important to understand the treatment facilities needed to assist those struggling with a drug abuse problem. Many treatment centers focus heavily on psychological aspects of drug use, assisting individuals with a treatment that addresses underlying issues of addiction.
A recent study looked at psychological distress as related to multiple substance abuse in rural areas. Booth, Curran, Han, Wright, Frith, Leukefeld, Falck and Carlson examined the longitudinal relationship between psychological distress and multiple substance use.
Substance abuse and poor mental health are generally understood to be related, but the researchers wanted to examine how the abuse of multiple substances is associated with mental health over a long period of time in a community. The researchers examined 710 rural stimulant users in a natural history study in three states.
The participants were recruited from three counties each in Arkansas, Kentucky and Ohio. Each participant reported use of a stimulant in the past 30 days. The participants were interviewed every six months for three years.
The study used the Brief Symptom Inventory to measure mental health, and the participants’ substance use was measured for 17 possible substances.
The Global Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory was used as the dependent variable at each interview, and substance use was used as predictor variables measured by number of substances used in the last six months. The researchers used general estimating questions for longitudinal data for data analysis. Adjustments were made for use of substance-use treatment, demographics and recruitment site.
The results of the study show that the Global Severity Index score and the use of multiple substances declined over the three years. There was a significant association found between the Global Severity Index score and a higher number of substances used in the last six months.
The findings of this study show that using multiple substances increases psychological distress. Policy-makers in rural areas need to be aware of the association so that adequate treatment facilities are available to those struggling with drug addiction and mental health problems. The study’s information is helpful for determining what types of treatment would be necessary for implementing treatment programs that address both substance abuse and mental health.
