Spiritual/Religious experiences and in-treatment outcome in an inner-city program for heroin and cocaine dependence.
Adrienne Heinz, David H Epstein, Kenzie L Preston
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs March 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2007.10399863 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 169 |
| Population | Opiate- or cocaine-abusing treatment seekers (121 male) at substance abuse treatment centers |
| Measures | Index of Spiritual Experience (INSPIRIT), biweekly observed urine drug screens, treatment retention |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Humans Cocaine-related disorders Heroin dependence Treatment outcome Prospective studies Pilot projects Spirituality Sex factors Demography Religion Adult Middle aged Urban health services Baltimore Female Surveys and questionnaires |
| Key findings | Religious and spiritual beliefs were common among treatment seekers and were associated with in-treatment outcome: total INSPIRIT score was weakly correlated with subsequent cocaine-negative urines (r = .16, p < .04), and frequent religious/spiritual activity was linked to significantly better drug-use and treatment-retention outcomes. Women and African Americans reported more religious and spiritual beliefs or experiences than men and non-African Americans, and African Americans had higher INSPIRIT scores than Caucasians. |
Abstract
Although spirituality is an integral component of some of the most popular approaches to substance abuse treatment, there is little empirical evidence for a causal relationship between spirituality and treatment success. In the present study, 169 (121 male) opiate- or cocaine-abusing treatment seekers completed the Index of Spiritual Experience (INSPIRIT), a questionnaire that assesses both spirituality and religiosity. Responses were analyzed in terms of demographic variables and in-treatment outcome, which was determined by treatment retention and drug screens from observed biweekly urine collections. Religious/spiritual beliefs were common in these participants and were associated with in-treatment outcome: total INSPIRIT score was weakly correlated (r = .16, p < .04) with number of subsequent cocaine-negative urines, and participants reporting that they frequently spent time on religious/spiritual activities showed significantly better outcomes in terms of subsequent drug use and treatment retention. Women and African Americans were more likely than men and non-African Americans to report religious and spiritual beliefs or experiences on several individual items, and African Americans had higher INSPIRIT scores than Caucasians. The results suggest that spiritual and religious experience plays a role in substance abuse recovery and that demographic characteristics should be considered in the design of spiritually oriented behavioral interventions for addiction.
Comparable studies
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| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population | 2013 | Observational study | |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
| Breakdown of long-range temporal dependence in default mode and attention networks during deep sleep Human participants across the nonrapid eye movement sleep cycle | 2013 | Observational cohort | |
| Assessment of addiction severity among ritual users of ayahuasca Regular ayahuasca users (jungle-based and urban-based) and matched controls | 2010 | Observational cohort | n = 127 |