| This study investigated the social adjustment of female spouses and significant others (SSOs) of substance abusers in order to gain insight into the impact of drug use upon those close to the user. Using the Social Adjustment Scale - Self-Report (SAS-SR), it compared the self-rated social adjustment of 69 female SSOs of drug users and 68 female community comparison participants. It also examined the relationship between SSOs' impairment in social adjustment and their perceptions of the severity of their partners' drug use as measured by the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) alcohol and drug use composite scores. As expected, SSOs of drug users displayed social adjustment that was compromised relative to that of the community comparison sample overall and in all individual subscale areas, including both the more proximal domains of primary relationship and family unit functioning and the more distal domains of work, social/leisure, extended family, and parental functioning. No significant relationships were observed between SSOs' social adjustment and their ratings of their partners severity of drug use. Further inquiry is needed to improve our understanding of the impact of drug use upon family members of users. |
