Características epidemiológicas, sociodemográficas e autoestima de usuários de um centro de atenção psicossocial álcool e drogas de uma cidade do Nordeste

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The Psychosocial Care Centers for Alcohol and other Drugs (CAPS AD) act as fundamental substitute services in the psychosocial care network and an important legacy of the Psychiatric Reform, being a recent mental health policy for chemical dependency that lacks details about the population served. Epidemiological data and knowledge of self-esteem, an important component of mental health, contribute to service planning and strengthening service actions. OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemiological profile and self-esteem of users of a CAPS AD in a city in northeastern Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in a Psychosocial Care Center, using sociodemographic questionnaires authored by the researchers and a validated self-esteem scale in the public domain (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). The population consisted of patients over 18 years of age treated by CAPS AD João Rosendo dos Santos and the data obtained were tested by Pearson's Correlation for numerical variables and by the Chi-square test or T-Test for nominal variables. RESULTS: In the period between June 13th and August 31st, 2023, 46 CAPS-AD users from the city of Lagarto were interviewed, of which 84.8% (n=39) were male and 36.9% (n=17) were between 41 and 50 years old. Among the participants, 58.7% (n=27) declared themselves single; 60.9% had incomplete primary education (n=28); 82.6% (n=38) were in a social situation of non-employment and 8.7% (n=4) were homeless. The majority declared themselves Catholic (63%; n=29). Regarding previous suicide attempts, 58.7% (n=27) had already had at least one attempt at self-extermination. In the statistical analysis, the level of education was associated with being abstinent, and it was observed that there was a greater number of abstinence in users with better levels of education (p=0.02). In the context of the results of the applied self-esteem scale (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), 41.3% (n=19) of interviewees obtained results compatible with low self-esteem. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that even though they are linked to CAPS, a service created thinking about building personal protagonism and resuming the full exercise of citizenship, users remain in a situation of unemployment, low income, marginalized, with negative concepts of self-respect and low self-esteem. The disproportionality between the number of users of each sex, with a predominance of men, reveals the need to reflect on the male education model, as well as on policies to bring chemically dependent women closer to the service.