Irrational beliefs and automatic thoughts in drug-dependent patients at rehabilitation centres in Metropolitan Lima, 2023

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between irrational beliefs and automatic thoughts in drug-dependent patients from rehabilitation centers in Metropolitan Lima. To carry this out, an observational cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study was conducted to establish the relationship between both study variables on a sample of 76 men enrolled in treatment programs. Result: It was found that there is no relationship between the general values of irrational beliefs and automatic thoughts (rho=0.107; p=0.359) in patients from rehabilitation centers. However, a relationship was found between six types of beliefs: "Need for approval," "Blaming," "Helplessness about change," "Avoidance of problems," "Dependency," "Influence of the past" with 13 types of automatic thoughts: "Filtering or selective abstraction," "Personalization," "Fallacy of change," "Fallacy of control," "Emotional reasoning," "Interpretation of thoughts," "Fallacy of Justice," "Overgeneralization," "Global labeling," "Guilt," "Fallacy of being right," "Fallacy of divine reward," and "Polarized thoughts." Conclusion: Although no relationship was identified between the general value of each variable, the relationship between their dimensions helps understand how each type of cognitive bias functions and associates in patients diagnosed with drug dependency.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es determinar la relación entre las creencias irracionales y los pensamientos automáticos en pacientes drogodependientes de centros de rehabilitación de Lima Metropolitana. Para llevarlo a cabo, se procedió a realizar un estudio observacional del tipo transversal, descriptivo y correlacional para establecer la relación entre ambas variables de estudio sobre una muestra de 76 hombres internados en programas de tratamiento. Resultado: obteniendo que no existe una relación entre los valores generales de las creencias irracionales y los pensamientos automáticos (rho=0.107; p=0.359) en los pacientes de los centro de rehabilitación; sin embargo, sí se presenta una relación entre seis tipos de creencias: "Necesidad de aprobación", "Culpabilización", "Indefensión acerca del cambio", "Evitación de problemas", "Dependencia", "Influencia del pasado" con los 13 tipos de pensamientos automáticos: "Filtraje o Abstracción selectiva", "Personalización", "Falacia de cambio", "Falacia de control", "Razonamiento emocional", "Interpretación de pensamientos", "Falacia de Justicia", "Sobregeneralización", "Etiqueta global", "Culpabilidad", "Falacia de tener razón", "Falacia de recompensa divina" y "Pensamientos Polarizados". Conclusión: Aunque se identificó que no existía una relación entre el valor general de cada variable, la relación entre sus dimensiones permite conocer cómo funciona y se asocia cada tipo de sesgo cognitivo en pacientes diagnosticados con drogodependencia.