The number of people in the world using different types of substances is increasing; therefore,
the problem of addiction to substances is increasing as well. The characteristics of selfcompassion,
relational needs and well-being among drug addicts, who are treated in
therapeutic communities and communes in Slovenia, are explored in the master’s degree. One
hundred and thirty-four people involved in the research were divided in two groups. Sixtyseven
people, who are being treated for substance use disorder in one of the institutions,
participated in the first group. Sixty-seven people from general population participated in the
second group. The results has shown that there is a trend of differences in self-compassion
between the two groups, but the differences are not statistically significant. Significant
differences have been indicated on one of the self-compassion subscales, namely in isolation.
Participants who are addicted to drugs feel more isolated in their experiences compared to
the general population. On the grounds of the results, it has also been established that people
who are addicted to drugs, do not have relational needs fulfilled as much as general
population. We were interested in whether there are differences between the participants in
the group with drug addictions if they are included in psychotherapeutic treatment. The
results did not show statistically significant differences. It has also been found out that the
length of treatment and the number of relapses do not associate with self-compassion. The
last important finding is related to all measured constructs: the results have shown that selfcompassion
and the fulfilment of relational needs predict well-being. The results of the
research contribute to better understanding of the inner world, needs and experiencing of the
researched population. The whole work presents usable value, especially for further work in
institutions that deal with substance use treatment.
|
