The perception of stress and anxiety among mentally ill substance abusers

Thirty clients receiving treatment for substance abuse and severe and persistent mental illness (MISA) were compared to 30 clients receiving treatment for substance abuse only on measures of stress and anxiety. These groups were evaluated on their perception of worry/oversensitivity, physiological anxiety, social concerns/stress and overall anxiety. The relationships within groups for risk of depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), psychosis, alcohol abuse disorders, and drug abuse disorders were also explored. Measures included in this study were the Adult Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire. It was predicted that there would be a significant difference between the MISA clients and the substance-abuse-only clients in regard to perception of anxiety. Results indicated a statistical significance between the two groups in regard to physiological and overall anxiety with the MISA group reporting greater anxiety in these domains. There was a significant but weaker difference between the two groups in terms of worry and over-sensitivity with the MISA group reporting greater concerns. When both groups were compared on perception of social concerns/stress, no significant difference was found. It was also predicted that there would be a significant difference within the two groups in regard to risk for depression, psychosis, PTSD, alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Results showed that the MISA group was at greater risk for depression, psychosis, and PTSD. There was no significant difference within both groups for risk of alcohol and drug abuse.