Use trajectories of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in Shanghai, China

Abstract

Background Although amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use is an important issue that has caused growing concerns in China as well as other countries, the knowledge of long-term patterns of ATS use in China is limited. This study explored long-term patterns of ATS use in Shanghai, China, and compared the differences by ATS use trajectory groups, seeking to identify risk factors that have implications for the development of targeted intervention programs. Methods A total of 377 ATS users were recruited from the Compulsory Isolation Center for Drug Rehabilitation in Shanghai. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to identify distinctive trajectories of ATS use over 8 years at the time of interviews conducted in 2012. The mean number of days using ATS per month over a year from years 2005 to 2012 was analyzed with a censored normal model. Results Three distinctive groups were identified: high-use (19.1%), low-use (66.0%), and increasing-use (14.9%). Relative to the low-use group, the high-use and increasing-use groups were more likely to report having used opiate-type drugs and to have more craving experiences. Psychiatric symptoms following ATS use were frequently reported, with ATS users in the increasing-use and high-use groups more likely to report depression symptoms and suicide behaviors compared to the low-use group. The low-use and increasing-use groups reported more months in drug abuse treatment programs compared to the high-use group. Conclusions Addressing ATS use should take into consideration patients' use-related psychiatric symptoms as well as other risk factors, particularly among those with persistent high-level ATS use trajectories.

Substance use and suicidal ideation and behaviour in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

“…Four studies investigated the association between stimulant use and SIB. In China, past suicidal behaviour was positively associated with amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS) use [ 101 ]. A study from Iran reported a null association between ATS use and suicide attempt [ 70 ].…”

“…All four studies made use of a cross-sectional design and were assessed to be of high-quality. The study regions included EAP [ 101 ], LAC [ 102 ], MNA [ 70 ], and SSA [ 66 ], while no studies were from the ECA or SAS study regions.…”

Long-Term Effects of Tai Chi Intervention on Sleep and Mental Health of Female Individuals With Dependence on Amphetamine-Type Stimulants

“…Depression is another prevalent psychiatric symptom among ATS-dependent individuals. Evidence provided a result to support the consequence that more than half of the ATS dependents had depression symptoms (Du et al, 2014 ). Sleep quality and mood may play a role in the course of ATS use disorders and affect the outcome of treatment (Putnins et al, 2012 ).…”

“…ATS use has been correlated with serious health consequences, such as cognitive impairment, poor physical status, high risk of mortality, and increased social burden (Chen et al, 2015 ). Recently, the population of ATS use in China has grown substantially (Du et al, 2014 ). The registered drug use identified as methamphetamine (MA) user increased from 29 to 43.8% in 2014 (Zhu et al, 2016 ).…”

“…With East Asia regarded as a major region of concern due to its high MA production and trafficking (Rawson, 2013 ; Gowing et al, 2015 ; Kittirattanapaiboon et al, 2017 ), many researchers have raised an alert about ATS use/abuse around the world. The challenges of ATS use disorder have been recognized in China, and a large body of research on ATS use has emerged (Du et al, 2014 ).…”