Quality of Life in Patients with Substance Use Disorders Admitted to Detoxification Compared with those Admitted to Hospitals for Medical Disorders: Follow-Up Results

Abstract

Quality of life (QoL) in patients admitted to a general hospital was compared with those admitted to a detoxification unit for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). This study combines data from two separate data collections: a cross-sectional study in a general hospital unit (somatic sample, N = 519) and a follow-up study in a detoxification unit (SUD sample, N = 140). A total of 659 patients recruited during 2008–2013 were included in this study. All patients completed a generic QoL questionnaire at inclusion, and the SUD sample also completed it at the six-month follow-up. SUD patients experienced comparably low physical QoL and had significantly lower psychological, social, and existential QoL domain scores when compared with the somatic sample. Mental distress and having a SUD were the major factors explaining variations in QoL, with both influencing QoL negatively. In the SUD sample, QoL improved moderately at the six-month follow-up with less improvement for the domain relationship to a partner. To facilitate the recovery of SUD patients, clinicians must view their patients’ situation holistically and invest efforts into the different life domains affected by poor QoL.

Perceived quality of life in partners of patients undergoing treatment in somatic health, mental health, or substance use disorder units: a cross-sectional study

“…The cut-off score for a markedly low QoL has been suggested to be −0.15 below the general population (<0.55) [ 47 ]. The instrument has been used in a number of studies and is sensitive to QoL changes and for capturing differences in QoL; it has also been established as a valid and reliable instrument [ 45 , 47 , 50 ].…”

Building abstinent networks is an important resource in improving quality of life

“…Low QoL can be a strong impetus for treatment initiation, and improved QoL a concrete goal (Laudet et al, 2009;Weiss et al, 2014). Improved QoL by treatment completion can reinforce abstinence and other positive treatment outcomes (Best et al, 2013;Laudet et al, 2009;Laudet and Stanick, 2010;Vederhus et al, 2016), while low QoL at treatment completion partly predicted relapse in one sample (Laudet et al, 2006). Most studies report significant improvements in QoL after initiating treatment, but among the few studies able to follow up with drop-outs, evidence is mixed as to whether dropping out negatively impacts QoL when comparing drop-outs to either completers or those still in treatment (Giacomuzzi et al, 2005;Gonzales et al, 2009;Stallvik and Clausen, 2017).…”

Quality of Life in Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Relationship to Impulsivity and Drug Use Characteristics

“…In addition, a high QOL contributes to the sustainable withdrawal of patients with SUDs after leaving treatment (16,17). However, patients with SUDs often reported more impaired QOL than those without SUDs (18,19), or even poorer than some other chronic disease (20,21), which may greatly hinder their rehabilitation. Consequently, it is urgent for clinicians to understand the factors leading to the poor QOL in patients with SUDs, so as to improve it in a cost-effective manner.…”