Assessment of motor and process skills in daily life activities of treated substance addicts

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to apply the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) in a sample of people in treatment for addictive behaviours and to study the results. Methods:The test was applied to a sample of 101 outpatients in treatment for addiction to substances. The results were studied in relation to gender, age, level of education, and variables related to addiction. Results:Motor and cognitive performance was negatively related to time of addiction and its severity. Sixty per cent of the sample reached suboptimal scores and 25% showed scores suggesting significant deterioration, especially with regard to cognitive processing skills. Conclusions:The AMPS seems to be a useful instrument to estimate the cognitive and motor impairment associated with addiction in daily life activities. The present work is the first to consider its applicability to drug users under treatment. The percentage of subjects affected and the magnitude of the observed impairment in the sample suggest the need to consider taking these deficits into account in treatment programmes and the convenience of incorporating functional rehabilitation as a basic element of the treatment of persons with addictions. Future studies should develop this instrument in larger samples, increasing the representativeness and generalizability of the results.