Addiction, locus of control and health status: a study on patients with substance use disorder in recovery settings

Objective: This study aims at testing (a) the association between locus of control and socio-demographic, drug use, and treatment-related variables in patients with drug addiction following rehabilitation, and (b) whether locus of control may account for physical and mental health status also controlling for social desirability responding. Methods: Seventy-eight participants were recruited within therapeutic communities for drug rehabilitation treatment. They completed measures of locus of control (LCB), health-related status (SF-12) and social desirability responding (BIDR-6 short form) and provided further socio-demographic, drug use, and treatment-related information. T-tests, Pearson’s correlations, and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Results: Education and treatment duration represent the only two meaningful factors potentially favoring higher internal locus of control. Locus of control results to be a predictor of mental health status, explaining for about 6.5% of the outcome variance. However, when considering the potential influence of social desirability responding such a relationship does not remain statistically significant anymore. Conclusion: The study provides some insights about the relationship between locus of control and individual and treatment-related variables, that could be further explored to promote treatment success in rehabilitation programs. As well, social desirability arises as a major concern to be handled when dealing with substance use populations.