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Differences in the quality of life of two groups of drug users

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Siobhan Rooney ,
Aideen Freyne ,
Gabrielle Kelly  and
John O'Connor
Siobhan Rooney
Affiliation:
National Drug Treatment Centre, Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
Aideen Freyne
Affiliation:
St Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland
Gabrielle Kelly
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
John O'Connor
Affiliation:
National Drug Treatment Centre, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare aspects of the quality of life of drug users on a methadone maintenance programme to drug users on a harm minimisation programme.

Method: Thirty-six clients attending the harm minimisation programme in the National Drug Treatment Centre, Dublin, were matched for age and sex to 36 clients on the methadone maintenance programme. All were interviewed with the SF-36 Health Survey Questionnaire to measure health related quality of life and with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADs) to measure psychological morbidity.

Results: More clients from the harm minimisation programme had previous psychiatric problems than clients on the methadone maintenance programme, with an odds ratio of 4.3 CI(1.2,15.2). On the HADs, clients on the methadone maintenance programme had significantly lower depression scores than clients on the harm minimisation programme. In addition more clients on the harm minimisation programme were severely depressed than clients on the methadone maintenance programme. On the UK SF-36 Scale, clients on the harm minimisation programme perceived a significantly greater deterioration in ‘change in health’ over the previous year than clients on the methadone maintenance programme.

Conclusions: Although clients on a methadone maintenance programme had an improved perception of their quality of life in relation to psychological and overall health function from the previous year, compared to clients on a harm minimisation programme, there still existed varying degrees of psychopathology in both groups which need to be considered when providing future services for drug users.

Keywords

Quality of lifeMethadone maintenance programmeHarm minimisation programme
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , June 2002 , pp. 55 - 59
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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