Juicios morales en drogodependencias

Abstract

Introduction

Drug abuse is associated with psychosocial and legal issues, however the characteristics of moral decision-making in this population are unknown. Moral psychology and neuroscience reveals key roles for cognitive-emotional processes, skills that are significantly altered in the drug dependent population.

Objectives

The aim of study was to investigate moral judgments in polysubstance abusers following therapeutic community treatment.

Material and methods

The sample was composed by 32 polysubstance-dependent males and 32 non-drug users, who completed the Battery of moral dilemmas by Moore validated to Spanish population.

Results

The results showed significant between group differences in moral judgments; polysubstance abusers followed a utilitarian pattern which assumes an emotionally aversive behavior in favor of communitarian well-being (i.e. kill one person to save more lives).

Conclusions

These findings suggests an alteration in moral decision-making in polysubstance abusers, which could be related to psychosocial and legal problems (drug trafficking, theft, etc.) that typically occur in this population.