Psychosocial Correlates of Methamphetamine Use

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse is a devastating problem which has been sweeping the United States from west to east and has reached epidemic proportion in many areas. Literature on the drug itself, its history, and effects are reviewed. The current project aimed to examine the psychosocial correlates of MA use using Hudson's Multi-Problem Screening Inventory (MPSI).

The MPSI was given to a control group of undergraduate social work students (n=17) and a group of past-year MA users (n=15). All participants supplied demographic information and completed a questionnaire on their MA-use habits. Differences between users and non users were examined across the 27 domains of the MPSI, and subscales for which MA users exceeded the clinical cutting score were noted. In addition, the correlation between severity of craving for MA and MPSI scores was examined.

MA users differed significantly from non users on the depression, partner, child, and neighbor problems, aggression, fearfulness, ideas of reference, phobias, guilt, disturbed thinking, memory loss, and drug abuse subscales. MA users exceeded clinical cutting scores on all of these scales except child problems, fearfulness, and ideas of reference, in addition to self-esteem, sexual discord, personal stress, friend, school, and coworker problems, and confused thinking. Severity of craving was correlated with MPSI score on all MPSI scales except self-esteem, sexual discord, mother, father, friend, coworker, school, and family problems, suicide, non-physical abuse, and alcohol abuse. Interesting findings regarding the control group are also discussed.