BACKGROUND

The influence of family factors on the development and/or on maintenance of heroin addiction still remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate family factors, which might be associated with heroin addiction in a sample of male individuals.

METHODS

A group of 40 heroin addicts' families was compared with a group of 17 families with a member presenting schizophrenia and a group of 27 families with mentally healthy members in regard to (1) parents' rejection attitudes toward their adult child, (2) quality of parental bond, as perceived by the adult child, and (3) stressful life events in the nuclear family.

RESULTS

The main findings showed that the degree of rejection by the fathers in the heroin addicts' families as well as in the subjects with schizophrenia was significantly higher compared to the fathers' degree of rejection in the control group. Moreover, the degree of rejection by mothers in the heroin addicts' families was significantly higher compared to the mothers' degree of rejection in the control group. Heroin addicts reported that they had perceived less care from their fathers than healthy controls. The total number of stressful life events in the nuclear family was higher in the patients with schizophrenia in comparison to the healthy controls. Also, in the heroin addicts' group, a significantly higher number of fathers presented a current or past psychiatric disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study showed the importance of negative family factors in the course of heroin addiction.