EMPLOYABILITY OF SURVIVORS IN RECOVERY FROM SUBSTANCE MISUSE

The contemporary economic crisis in Spain challenges the employment by existence of precarious and temporal works. Individual career development needs to respond to rapid societal changes in a flexible and adaptable manner.... [ view full abstract ]

The contemporary economic crisis in Spain challenges the employment by existence of precarious and temporal works. Individual career development needs to respond to rapid societal changes in a flexible and adaptable manner. This situation is worsened for vulnerable populations, especially, for the survivors with substance use disorders. It seems essential to introduce the life and career design, oriented to core personal values, into the career counseling of this target group and the current investigation reflects this end.
The method used was a quasi-experimental study with surveys at baseline and endline, measured by previously selected questionnaires. The original protocol of intervention (15 sessions), based on the career designing, distress, anxiety management and relapse prevention techniques, was administrated to the experimental group. The inclusion criteria were adult men and women, abstinent more than 3 months and currently unemployed. For the control group 1 the same inclusion criteria were applied. The surveys at baseline and endline were undertaken with interval of 3-4 months, but without intervention, and the control group 2 followed ordinary vocational orientation.
The preliminary results had shown improvements at the level of the perception of personal competence, self-esteem, self-directed career management, changes in self-importance of moral identity and reduction of fears related to the job search.
We hope this investigation can contribute to the construction of programs related to career designing for people who suffer from substance misuse and, on the other hand, it can give a light to personality theories that consider processes related to moral identity.