The Impact of an Inpatient Treatment on the Psychodynamic and Symptomatology in Couples Concordant for Substance Use: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Much literature is devoted to describing the psychosocial situation of patients with a substance use disorder and the course of their families and healthy partners. Couples where both partners have a substance use disorder are less well described and even less often studied. Method: This study described the psychodynamic and symptomatology, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), of five concordant couples treated simultaneously as inpatients at the same specialized substance use disorder ward. Results: The psychodynamic characterization of the couples revealed that the female was often the organizer, whereas the male was either the motivator or the lackey. In addition, the female was often emotionally dependent on the male. Most individuals showed symptom reductions from pre- to post-treatment, although the men seemed to benefit to a greater extent than the women. Moreover, the patients did not necessarily desire couples therapy. Conclusion: Treating couples concordant for substance use together in the same inpatient setting is unusual, but possible. The dynamics of couples in drug rehabilitation should be further investigated taking into account possible gender differences.