Examination of impulsivity, aggression and depression levels of individuals with and without alcohol –substance addiction

Impulsivity, depression, and aggression are thought to be present at high levels in alcohol-substance-addicted individuals. It is thought that examining this situation, which brings various negativities for society, and supporting people who are undergoing alcohol-substance addiction treatment in this direction will make a significant contribution to the treatment processes. In the literature review, no study was found in which aggression, impulsivity, and depression variables were examined in the same study. It is thought that this thesis can be a resource for both researchers and health personnel working in AMATEM. Behaviors such as impulsivity, depression and aggression experienced by the addicted individual are important in terms of the possibility of negatively affecting both treatment and post-treatment. Studies to alleviate such behaviors observed in addicted individuals are important for the continuity of treatment. Determining the levels of depression, impulsivity, and aggression in alcohol-substance-dependent individuals can reveal issues related to how to help patients both during and after treatment and in this direction, it is thought that healthcare professionals can positively affect the treatment of patients during the treatment process. In this context, this study aimed to determine the impulsivity, aggression, and depression levels of individuals with and without alcohol substance addiction. The study was designed based on the relational survey model to reveal the relationship between the two groups. Ethics committee approval was obtained for the implementation of the research in the AMATEM service in Elazığ Mental Health and Diseases Hospital and "necessary permissions" were obtained from the Provincial Health Directorate. The population of the study consisted of 360 people with alcohol substance addiction who were hospitalized in the AMATEM service of Elazığ Mental Health and Diseases Hospital. This study was conducted between 01.05.2021 - 01.05.2022 in the AMATEM ward of Elazığ Mental Health and Diseases Hospital and the data were collected by the researcher. In this study, the "Personal Information Form", "Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS11)", "Buss Perry Aggression Scale (BPS)", and "Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale" were used. After the SAMBA training was given to the patients in all AMATEMs during the treatment process, post-tests were applied with the scale forms. Only scale forms were administered to individuals without alcohol substance addiction. The data collected within the scope of the research were transferred to the computer environment. The data were entered into the licensed SPSS 22.0 package program and firstly, it was checked whether the scales and sub-dimensions met the normality assumption. Correlation Analysis was performed to determine the level and direction of the relationship between dependent variables. In line with the normality test conducted in line with the answers given by the participants used in the study, it is seen that the data of the study show a normal distribution. Therefore, parametric tests were used in the analysis of the study. In this study, the reasons for the participants' initiation of substance use were examined and according to the results obtained, it was concluded that the highest distribution of the reason for the initiation of alcohol addiction for the subject group was due to environmental factors with 35.4% (Table 10). This finding, which details that the social environment is a triggering factor in substance use, is considered an important risk factor from the general perspective. In this study, it was examined which substance the participants used predominantly and it was determined that the most commonly used substance was marijuana with a rate of 16.3%. This suggests that marijuana is a cheap and easily accessible substance. When the reasons why the subject group within the scope of this study started treatment to get rid of addiction were analyzed, it was seen that 52.4% of the participants were involved in the treatment process in line with their wishes (Table 12). In the study, participants were asked whether their first-degree relatives had alcohol/substance addiction. In response, 62.6% of the experimental group members and 80.5% of the control group members stated that their first-degree relatives did not have alcohol/substance addiction (Table 14). In this study, the participants' exposure to abuse was examined; according to the findings obtained, it was determined that 87.8% of the experimental group and 85.6% of the control group were not exposed to any abuse (Table 15). When the suicide attempt status of the participants was examined in the study, it was determined that 64.6% of the experimental group and 83.9% of the control group did not attempt suicide (Table 16). According to the findings obtained in this study, the level of physical aggression, which is the sub-dimension of aggression, was examined before and after the treatment of the subject group and between the groups, respectively, and it was determined that the physical aggression parameter was not affected by the treatment applied in AMATEM in the subject group participants (p>0.05), and there was an increase in the mean values (pre-test 22.51±8.29 post-test 23.62±7.79). When the intergroup data were analyzed, it was seen that the mean value of the subject group was higher (subject group 23.62±7.79 control group 22.60±7.40), but it was determined that this difference in means was not at a level to create significance (p>0.05). Keywords: Alcohol Substance Abuse, Impulsivity, Aggression, Depression