Sources of anxiety in drug addiction

A sample of drug addicts (N = 60) in treatment were interviewed, and their descriptions of their lives were elicited and recorded. Their scores on a measure of anxiety based on content analysis of these descriptions were compared with those of two other groups of people matched for sex and age. The chief element in the pattern of anxiety that differentiated the groups was shame. Addicts also expressed more guilt, loneliness, fear of death, and vague worries than the other groups. This pattern was found to vary with the criminal history of the addicts and their counselors' assessment of them. Implications were discussed.