Quality of life and its correlates among heroin users in Taiwan

Abstract

The aims of this study were to compare the quality of life (QOL) between subjects with and without heroin use and to examine the association of QOL with sociodemographic characteristics, characteristics of heroin use, family support, and depression among heroin users at entry to a methadone maintenance treatment program. A group of 123 heroin users who visited an outpatient addiction treatment clinic in southern Taiwan for methadone maintenance treatment were recruited into this study. We also recruited 106 subjects who had never used heroin as the control group. Their QOL status was assessed by the short form of the Taiwan Version of the World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life (the WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan version). The level of QOL between subjects with and without heroin use was compared, and the correlates of QOL among heroin users were examined. Heroin users had poorer QOL than nonusers in the physical, psychological, and social relationship domains but not the environment domain of the WHOQOL-BREF after controlling for the influences of other factors. In addition, heroin users with obvious depression had poorer QOL in all four domains than those without obvious depression. Also, heroin users who perceived higher family support had better QOL in the social relationship and environment domains. Heroin users had poorer QOL than nonusers in multiple domains. Relief of depressive symptoms and enhancement of family support should be important strategies to improve QOL in heroin users.

Long-Term Changes in the Personality and Psychopathological Profile of Opiate Addicts after Nucleus Accumbens Ablative Surgery Are Associated with Treatment Outcome

“…Domain scores are scaled in a positive direction, scaled from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a higher quality of life. Validity and reliability of WHOQOL-BREF have been verified [28], and previous studies assessing the heroin users’ quality of life have applied WHOQOL-BREF [29]. The Chinese version of the instrument used in the present study also showed good validity and reliability [30], and the normal values of the Chinese population by WHOQOL-BREF is as follows [30]: physical domain: 69.38 ± 10.57, psychological domain: 61.81 ± 8.41, social domain: 62.06 ± 9.18, and environmental domain: 60.63 ± 8.70.…”

The influence of the length of methadone maintenance treatment on quality of life of opioid addicts

“…Према дефиницији Светске Здравствене Организације (WHO) квалитет живота пред-ставља болесникову оцену сопственог поло-жаја у животу у контексту културе и система вредности у којима живи, као и према својим циљевима, очекивањима, стандардима и инте-ресовањима 7 . Студије су показале да опиои-дни зависници имају лошији квалитет живота у односу на општу популацију [8][9][10] . Хероински корисници имају лошији квалитет живота у физичким, психолошким и социјалним доме-нима од не-корисника.…”

“…Хероински корисници имају лошији квалитет живота у физичким, психолошким и социјалним доме-нима од не-корисника. На квалитет живота ових особа у великој мери утичу коморбиди-тет (као што је депресија) и слаба породична подршка 10 . Терапија метадонским одржавањем је показала позитиван и статистички значајан ефекат на квалитет живота пацијената 1,[11][12][13] .…”

Opioid pharmacotherapy: Treatment, regimes, constructions and control

“…Impacts of MMT programs in Asia have been evaluated in longitudinal studies (Musa, Abu Bakar, & Ali Khan, 2012;Tran et al, 2012e, 2012g;Wang et al, 2012;Xing et al, 2012;Yen, Wang, Wang, Chen, & Chang, 2011). The primary measures of health outcomes basically included changes in drug use behaviours and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).…”