The Effects of Samātha Meditation Program for Drug Addicts on Carving, Self-Esteem and Drug Abstinence Self-Efficacy

본 연구는 집중명상(samatha)이 마약중독자의 갈망, 자아 존중감, 단약자기효능감에미치는 효과를 알아보았다. 치료감호소의 남성 마약중독자를 대상으로 갈망척도, 자기존중감 척도 및 단약자기 효능감 척도를 실시하였다. 실험군은 치료감호소에 마약사범으로 복역중인자로 금단증상이 사라진 자, 의사소통이 가능한 자, 정신과적 장애로 치료를 받고 있지 않은 자 등의 선정기준을 충족하는 참가자 중에 치료집단에 20명, 통제집단에 20명을 할당하였다. 집중명상프로그램은 1개월간 주2회 8회기 실시하였으며, 각 회기는 60분의 시간이 소요되었다. 참가자(치료집단 20명, 통제집단 10명)에게 갈망, 자아존중감, 단약 자기효능감 수준에 대한 사전, 사후 검사를 실시하여 평가하였다. 연구 결과 통제집단보다 치료집단에서 약물갈망 수준이 유의미하게 낮아졌으며, 자아 존중감 및 단약 자기효능감 수준은 향상되었다. 본 연구의 의의, 제한점 후속연구에 대한제언이 논의되었다.

Addiction is a disease in which physiological, psychological, social and spiritual elements are mixed in a complicated way. Drugs are continuously reported to cause physical, psychological, spiritual damages of individuals involved and to be major elements that trigger accidents of various kinds including suicide, a severe trouble in career, the collapse of family and violence and crime. This study was carried as a preliminary research to analyze the effect of a Samatha program on the drug craving, self-esteem and drug abstinence self-efficacy of drug addicts and by doing so to develop a full-fledged Samatha program. The program was implemented for male inmates under custody at Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Ministry of Justice in G city. The participants were divided into experimental group and controlled group with 20 persons in each group. The program was implemented in such a way that the researcher visited the Institute and implemented it for one month, 2 sessions per week, while each session lasted about one hour. For the verification of the program effect, pre- and post-test was executed using drug craving, self-esteem, drug abstinence self-efficacy. Study findings are as follows: first, the experimental group showed a positive result regarding drug craving, while controlled group showed no positive result; second, the experimental group showed a positive result regarding self-esteem, while controlled group showed no positive result; third, second, the experimental group showed a positive result regarding drug abstinence self-efficacy, while controlled group showed no positive result. Such findings have implication that the Samatha program has positive effect on the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts. This study has significance in that it verified the effect of the Samatha program that had not been tried for drug addicts and will contribute to the development of more effective treatment and rehabilitation program for drug addicts.