The study examined the self-perceived health status of women addicts in treatment in Pune, India with or without neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety. It administered the RAND 36-Item Health Survey to 6 women addicts, 3 with neuropsychiatric disorders and 3 without. It found that women with neuropsychiatric disorders reported lower self-perceived health status in 7 of the 8 health categories measured. However, all participants reported positive attitudes toward treatment regardless of health status. The results suggest that addiction combined with neuropsychiatric disorders negatively impacts self-perceived health but not attitudes toward treatment.

1. Self-Perceived Health Status of Women Addicts in Treatment with or without Neuropsychiatric
Disorders
Millicent Bright 1
, Laila Garda, Ph.D.2
, and Sheetal Bidkar 2
1
Department of Biology, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, USA, 2
Nishigandh at Muktangan
Rehabilitation Center, Pune, India
The growing number of women addicts in the city of Pune, India, has resulted in efforts to
develop effective treatment programs that minimize the relapse rates of patients. Our study
aimed to examine self-perceived health status and attitudes among women addicts (Group A) and
women addicts with neuropsychiatric disorders (depression & anxiety; Group B). We
hypothesized that the women addicts with neuropsychiatric disorders would report lower self-
perceived health status and negative attitudes about their general health compared to the women
without neuropsychiatric disorders. To test our hypothesis, the RAND 36-Item Health Survey
(Version 1.0) was administered individually to each available participant at the center (N= 6).
The survey evaluated self-perceived health status in the following eight categories; physical
functioning, bodily pain, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitations due to
personal or emotional problems, emotional well-being, social functioning, energy/fatigue, and
general health. Participants with neuropsychiatric disorders were selected to participate in this
study based on formal diagnosis as recorded on their psychiatric records. The participants had a
mean age of 35 (18-50 yrs), and averaged 9 years of addiction (4-20 yrs). Three of the six
participants were married, four held graduate degrees, and all were from urban areas. This
sample mirrored that of a recent study conducted by another agency in the city of Pune. Surveys
were administered with the assistance of a translator. Using the recommended scoring guidelines
provided by the survey producers, the surveys were scored and analyzed. In addition, specific
questions within the survey that addressed attitudes about general health were analyzed to assess
how receptive the participants were toward their treatment. In our results, which are specific to
the center in which the research was conducted, we found that women addicts with
neuropsychiatric disorders reported lower self-perceived health status on seven of the eight
RAND-36 categories compared to the women without neuropsychiatric disorders, (e.g. role
limitations due to emotional problems mean score, Group A=77.8 and Group B= 44.4). The lone
exception was in the ‘role limitations due to physical health problems’ category, where both
groups had a mean score of 75. In addition, all the participants reported positive attitudes toward
their general health. From the results, we concluded that addiction coupled with neuropsychiatric
disorders negatively impacts self-perceived health status. However, negative self-perceived heath
status does not serve as an indicator to predicting attitude towards treatment.
This research was supported in part by the UNCF Berbeco Senior Research Fellowship and
NIMH-COR grant T34 MH-016573-32.
Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Health -> d. Public Health and Epidemiology
Dr. Laila Garda: laila.garda@gmail.com
Sheetal Bidkar: sheetal.bidkar@gmail.com
Dr. Margaret Weber-Levine: mweberle@morehouse.edu