NCJ Number
216013
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 50 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2006 Pages: 306-323
Date Published
June 2006
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study compared the personal and emotional changes of two groups of recovering addict inmates: one group who participated in a 12-month therapeutic intervention program including both social support and experiential spiritual components (Group 1) and one group who participated in a 12-month therapeutic program involving primarily social support (Group 2).
Abstract
The results revealed that both the progress of the participants and their areas of change differed between the two groups. Group 1, which received the experiential component along with the social support component, demonstrated a greater sense of coherence and meaning in life and a greater gradual reduction in the intensity of negative emotions. The changes observed in Group 2 were decreased levels of depression and hostility but the changes were not gradual and only occurred between the second and last measurement. Moreover, Group 2 participants demonstrated no change in the level of suspicion over time, in contrast to Group 1 participants. The findings thus suggest the greater beneficial impacts of participating in addiction recovery programs that include a spiritual component. Participants were 93 male inmates from 3 prisons in Israel; 43 participants were enrolled in a 12-step addiction recovery program that involved both social support and experiential spiritual components while 50 participants were enrolled in an addiction recovery program that only involved a social support component. During a 1-year study period, participants completed a series of questionnaires at four different intervals: (1) prior to program participation; (2) 3 months into the program; (3) 6 months into the program; and (4) at the end of the study period. Variables under analysis included sociodemographic data, coherence, anxiety, depression, aggression, and hostility. Data analysis included the use of chi-square calculations and multivariate analysis of variance. Future research should focus on the impact of a spiritual recovery program on other types of populations, such as female inmates, gamblers, and individuals without criminal histories. Tables, figures, references