REHABILITATION APPROACHES IN HALFWAY HOUSES FOR MALAY DRUG ADDICTS UNDER COMMUNITY BASED REHABILITATION

Abstract

The primary focus of this study was to examine differences between two different rehabilitation approaches (the Pertapis HalfWay House and the Jamiyah Halfway House) on psychological functioning, social functioning, motivation for treatment and attitudes toward authority. The study included 66 Malay male drug inmates under the Halfway House scheme of Community Based Rehabilitation. It provided a description of the rehabilitation approaches in the Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Pertapis halfway house and Jamiyah Halfway house. The above four variables were tested using drug inmates in Pertapis Halfway House and the Jamiyah Halfway House at the third to sixth month of treatment. Results did not support the hypotheses on each of the variable except in the sub-scale of desire for help under the motivation for treatment domain. Drug inmates from Pertapis Halfway House were found to have greater desire for help compared to drug inmates from Jamiyah Halfway House. It was also found that comparing drug inmates between the non-halfway-house group (inmates in Lloyd Leas Camp) and the halfWay-house group (inmates in both halfway houses), there were signitlcant differences in the desire for help sub-scale and readiness for treatment sub-scale under the motivation for treatment domain. The halfway-house group was found to have greater desire for help and readiness for treatment. In addition. a regression analysis yielded two variables as being significant predictors of desire for help: 1) negativism (negatively correlated) and assessment of drug use problems (positively correlated); and 2) Negativism (negativcly correlated) and socialisation (positively correlated) were found to be significant predictors of readiness for treatment. The negative relationship of negativism (or attitudes toward authority) with desire for help and readiness for treatment suggested that inmates' motivation for treatment may be affected by their attitudes toward authority.