The functioning and well being of persons who seek treatment for drug and alcohol use

Stein, Michael D.; Mulvey, Kevin P.; Plough, Alonzo L.; Samet, Jeffrey H.

doi:10.1016/s0899-3289(99)80142-4

Cited by 65 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Scores on each of the subscales range between 0 and 100 with higher scores denoting better perceived health and functioning. The SF-36 has been validated in a wide range of populations, including alcohol and drug users (Daeppen et al, 1998;Falck et al, 2000;Falck et al, 2003;Stein et al, 1998).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection

Costenbader

Zule

Coomes

2007

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Background-Heavy alcohol use, hepatitis C and illicit drug use each have been shown to have negative impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQL). To date, considerations of HRQL have not played a prominent role in the design and measurement of intervention strategies for out-oftreatment at-risk populations.Methods-Data were collected from out-of-treatment IDUs recruited through street outreach in North Carolina. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the independent effects of HCV status, harmful drinking (AUDIT), and illicit drug use on HRQL (SF-36).Results-Fifty-one percent of 619 study participants tested HCV-positive; 57% met criteria for harmful or hazardous drinking and 63% reported daily use of hard drugs. HRQL scores for this population were significantly lower than those of the general population. Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that harmful levels of alcohol consumption and use of methamphetamine in the past month had the strongest associations with reduced HRQL.Conclusions-Given the high rates of HCV in most IDU communities, new harm reduction approaches are needed for these populations which focus beyond prevention to the functioning and well-being of those already infected. In particular, reducing heavy alcohol use in addition to slowing HCV progression shows promise for improving HRQL.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection

Costenbader

Zule

Coomes

2007

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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“…use. 18 A Brazilian study of female alcohol users treated at a specialized outpatient clinic showed that most of them presented severe dependence. 19 The mean age of our sample is in line with the relevant literature, which shows that substance abusers tend to seek treatment later in life than individuals with other psychiatric disorders, probably as a result of a higher number of barriers to treatment initiation.…”

Section: Ethical Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is evidence that physical symptoms such as abstinence-related pain often motivate seeking treatment. 18 A Canadian study has shown that, in a population of alcohol abusers, those with a diagnosis of dependence were more likely to seek treatment, suggesting an influence of severity of dependence on this outcome. 39 However, most studies so far have been performed in populations with low rates of crack abuse when compared with Brazil.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Who seeks public treatment for substance abuse in Brazil? Results of a multicenter study involving four Brazilian state capitals

Faller

Peuker

Sordi

et al. 2014

Trends Psychiatry Psychother.

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Objective: To assess the characteristics of alcohol and drug users who seek treatment at the Brazilian Unified Health System in Brazil. Method: A multicenter cross-sectional study involving five clinical and research centers located in four Brazilian state capitals was conducted with 740 in-and outpatients. The only exclusion criterion was the presence of neurological or severe psychiatric symptoms at the moment of the interview. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6) and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) were used to assess the severity of substance use and the problems related. Results: There were significantly more men than women in the sample; mean age was 36 years. The drug most frequently used at all sites was alcohol (78%), followed by cocaine/crack (51%). Alcohol was the drug that most commonly motivated treatment seeking, at all centers. ASI-6 Summary Scores for Recent Functioning (SS-Rs) were quite similar among centers. SS-Rs were compared between users who had never received treatment for psychoactive substance abuse (n = 265, 36.1%) and those who had already been treated at one or more occasions (n = 470, 63.9%). This analysis revealed significant differences between the groups in the drug, psychiatric symptoms, legal, and family/ social problems areas (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings confirm previous evidence suggesting that the management of patients seeking drug abuse treatment should take several different aspects into consideration, e.g., education, employment, and family relationships, which often appear as areas of concern for these individuals. Keywords: Substance abuse, treatment, multicenter, alcohol, drugs, public health. ResumoObjetivo: Avaliar as características dos usuários de álcool e drogas que procuram tratamento no Sistema Único de Saúde. Método: Estudo transversal multicêntrico envolvendo cinco centros clínicos/de pesquisa localizados em quatro capitais brasileiras foi realizado com 740 pacientes hospitalizados e ambulatoriais. O único critério de exclusão foi a presença de sintomas neurológicos ou psiquiátricos graves no momento da entrevista. A Escala de Gravidade de Dependência (Addiction Severity Index, ASI-6) e o teste ASSIST (Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test) foram utilizados para avaliar a severidade do uso de substância e problemas relacionados. Resultados: Houve significativamente mais homens do que mulheres na amostra; a idade média foi de 36 anos. A droga mais usada em todos os centros foi o álcool (78%), seguido de cocaína/ crack (51%). O álcool foi a droga que mais motivou procura por tratamento, em todos os centros. Os Escores Resumidos da ASI-6 para Funcionamento Recente (SS-Rs) foram bastante similares nos centros. SS-Rs foram comparados entre usuários que nunca haviam recebido tratamento para abuso de substâncias (n = 265, 36,1%) e aqueles que já haviam sido tratados uma ou mais vezes (n = 470, 63,9%). Foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os grupos nas áreas de droga, sintomas psiq...

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“…Research has shown that alcohol dependent persons generally have a lower QoL as compared to the general population (Smith and Larson 2003;Stein et al 1998), but this improves once alcohol consumption is reduced (Foster et al 1999). Other authors have also demonstrated a negative effect of psychotropic drug use on QoL (Stein et al 1998;Ventegodt and Merrick 2003), but it remains unclear whether this can be attributed to the drug use itself or to the negative life events that may have induced drug use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other authors have also demonstrated a negative effect of psychotropic drug use on QoL (Stein et al 1998;Ventegodt and Merrick 2003), but it remains unclear whether this can be attributed to the drug use itself or to the negative life events that may have induced drug use. Drug users' scores for physical health are similar to other populations with chronic problems, but their mental health scores are usually much lower.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploratory Study on Drug Users’ Perspectives on Quality of Life: More than Health-Related Quality of Life?

2008

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In drug treatment outcome literature, a focus on objective and socially desirable indicators of change (e.g. no drug use) has predominated, while outcome indicators that are important for drug users themselves (e.g. quality of life, satisfaction with treatment) have largely been neglected. Nonetheless, Quality of Life (QoL) has become an important concept to evaluate effectiveness of treatment in mental health care research and disability studies. Given the almost exclusive focus on Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in substance abuse research and the neglect of clients' perspectives in this field, we explore in this study the concept of QoL as perceived by drug users. Focus group discussions (n = 9) were organised in various treatment settings and community services for drug users in the region of Ghent, Belgium to identify important dimensions of QoL and their interpretation by drug users. Data were clustered and analysed based on the theoretical framework of Robert Schalock (Quality of life. Volume 1: Conceptualization and measurement, 1996). The domains 'personal relationships', 'social inclusion' and 'self-determination' were discussed most frequently by the participants. They stressed the importance of a supportive social network in particular. It can be concluded that QoL is not primarily associated by drug users with health and it involves much more than the aspects typically represented in measures of HRQOL.

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The functioning and well being of persons who seek treatment for drug and alcohol use

Cited by 65 publications

References 15 publications

The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection

The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection

Who seeks public treatment for substance abuse in Brazil? Results of a multicenter study involving four Brazilian state capitals

Exploratory Study on Drug Users’ Perspectives on Quality of Life: More than Health-Related Quality of Life?

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