Risk of neuropsychological impairment in Therapeutic communities' residents at entry: which profile should alert us?
Résumé
Introduction: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) has been linked to neuropsychological impairment (e.g., executive functions, working and episodic memories, visuospatial abilities, and ataxia). These disorders can hinder the benefits of the addiction treatment. The understanding of cognitive impairments in SUD has led to a modification of addictology treatment in detox centres. However, little is known about Therapeutic Communities (TCs) where cognitive disorders have not been investigated yet, as well as about the respective impact of risk factors that could interfere with cognition.
Methods: 56 TCs residents underwent interviews and filled in questionnaires relative to social, medical and substance use data and were given a neuropsychological screening (BEARNI: Brief Evaluation of Alcohol-Related Neuropsychological Impairment). The risk of cognitive deficits in TCs residents was compared with that of an abstainer control group (HC).
Results: TCs residents were mostly polysubstance users with frequent medical history. For all subtests assessed, the residents’ global risk of neuropsychological impairments was higher compared to HC. Most of the sample had moderate to severe risks of impairment. Liver history was a significant predictor since it increases the risk of having moderate to severe risk of cognitive impairment by three times on the BEARNI total score.
Discussion/Conclusion: TCs patients seem to have a high risk of cognitive impairment at the time of entry that may represent a barrier in their addiction care pathway in TCs. The results obtained highlight the need to give careful consideration to liver history since it could be a red flag indicating an increased cognitive risk of impairment. These highlights point out the significance of assessing cognition in TCs to better tailor the addiction treatment and thus to limit the daily impact of cognitive disorders.
| Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
|---|