Quality of life and its determinants for heroin addicts receiving a methadone maintenance program: Comparison with matched referents from the general population

Background/Aim. Although the characteristics of the treatment are the most researched determinants of quality of life of opiate addicts, it is indisputable that there is a certain influence of the characteristics of addicts and addiction, too. The aim of this study was to determine which addicts characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the addiction and treatment have predicative influence on the quality of life of the opiate addicts treated in the methadone maintenance program and those treated with buprenorphine. Methods. The epidemiological cross-sectional study was carried out in 2013 at the Clinical Center Nis, on a total of 64 opiate addicts, both sexes, aged 18 and older (32 addicts in the methadone program, chosen by random selection, and 32 addicts treated with buprenorphine, matched by sex and age). Necessary data were collected in a ?face to face? interview with the examinees, based on the autonomous kind of a questionnaire, together with the use of the standardized World Health Organization (WHO) instruments: for health status, for the level of severity of addiction and for the quality of life measuring) based on which the health index (EQ-5D), Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the quality of life index (WHOQOL-BREF) were calculated. The data were described by the methods of descriptive statistics, while the differences between groups were analyzed by applying ?2 and t-test. Multiple regressions were used to determine the predictors. Results. The addicts in the methadone program showed much worse perception of quality of life than those treated in another way, although, according to the values of quality of life, they did not differ significantly. The most numerous predictors of the level of quality of life were health characteristics, characteristics of the socioeconomic position of the examinees, as well as different consequences of addiction. The influence of treatment was less noticeable. Participating in the methadone program had predicative influence on perception and the level of quality of life of the addicts in mental area and that of the environment. The influence of the characteristics of methadone treatment in physical and social area was insignificant. Conclusion. Variations in the perception and level of the quality of life of opiate addicts in different areas cannot be explained using only one predictor. The number of determining variables is large, and its impact complex.

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Characteristics of Heroin Addicts Entering Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Quality of Life and Gender

Substance Use & Misuse ◽

10.1081/ja-120039392 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (9) ◽

pp. 1353-1368 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Elisabet Puigdollers ◽

Antònia Domingo-Salvany ◽

M. Teresa Brugal ◽

Marta Torrens ◽

Joan Alvarós ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Methadone Maintenance Treatment ◽

Maintenance Treatment ◽

Methadone Maintenance ◽

Treatment Quality ◽

Heroin Addicts ◽

And Gender

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Men Who Abuse Drugs and Their Experience of Loneliness

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.9.3.163 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 163-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Tricia Orzeck ◽

Ami Rokach

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Methadone Maintenance ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Drug Abusers ◽

Situational Variables ◽

Social Inadequacy ◽

Maintenance Program ◽

Methadone Maintenance Program ◽

Drug Cessation

Loneliness is a prevailing experience particularly familiar to adolescents and young adults. It is a subjective experience, influenced by one's personality, life experiences, and situational variables. The present study examined the influence of drug cessation on the experience of loneliness. Drug abusers during their stay in detox centers were compared to drug abusers who were in a methadone maintenance program, and those two groups were again compared to a group of adults in the general population who are nonusers of drugs. A total of 304 participants from all three groups volunteered to answer a 30-item yes/no questionnaire, reflecting on their experience of loneliness and what it meant to them. The factors which compose the multidimensional loneliness experience are emotional distress, social inadequacy and alienation, growth and discovery, interpersonal isolation, and self-alienation. Results revealed significant differences between the scores of the three groups, however only the detox and the general population samples had significantly different subscale scores.

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Cost-utility analysis of methadone maintenance treatment in Lithuania

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina46040040 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 286 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Giedrius Vanagas ◽

Žilvinas Padaiga ◽

Eugenijus Bagdonas

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Methadone Maintenance Treatment ◽

Maintenance Treatment ◽

Methadone Maintenance ◽

Cost Utility ◽

Maintenance Program ◽

Program Costs ◽

Total Program

Background. Economic evaluations in health care involve the identification, measurement, valuation, and then comparison of the costs (inputs) and outcomes of treatments or preventive activities. The aim was to analyze the cost-utility of six-month methadone maintenance treatment program in a Lithuanian primary health care setting. Methods. A prospective study design was used. All the information was obtained through the validated questionnaires at the baseline and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. WHOQOL-BREF was used to assess the quality of life; the costs were assessed using the DATCAP methodology from the perspective of a patient and outpatient clinic during follow-up period. Results. A total of 102 opioid-dependent patients were recruited in the study; 512 follow-up patient-months were obtained. The methadone maintenance treatment has significantly improved physical, psychological, and environmental components of quality of life during follow-up. Total program costs were 61 288.87 EUR. Cost paid by a patient comprised about 31% of total program costs. Cost per quality-adjusted life-month (QALM) for physical domain was 2227.55 EUR; for psychological domain, 1879.50 EUR; for social domain, 5467.64 EUR; and for environmental domain, 4626.47 EUR. Costs per QALM and quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) for total quality of life in the maintenance program were 2864.00 EUR and 34 368.00 EUR, respectively. Conclusions. Our results showed that 6-month methadone maintenance program was effective in the terms of quality-of-life improvement. Methadone maintenance treatment program was less effective in terms of cost per QALY.

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Interrelations among Psychological Needs of Suburban Heroin Addicts

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1974.35.1.559 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 559-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John Fracchia ◽

Charles Sheppard ◽

Elizabeth Ricca ◽

Sidney Merlis

Keyword(s):

Interpersonal Conflict ◽

Methadone Maintenance ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Normative Sample ◽

Heroin Addicts ◽

Male And Female ◽

Maintenance Program ◽

Methadone Maintenance Program

Among the 15 variables assessed by the EPPS for 59 male and female applicants to a suburban methadone maintenance program the pattern, direction and magnitudes of correlations between need states were significantly different from those of the normative sample. The implications of the tendency of addicts to associate positively a number of incompatible needs for: (1) counseling, (2) generating interpersonal conflict, and (3) understanding the addict as an individual were discussed.

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Prediction of long-term outcome for heroin addicts admitted to a methadone maintenance program

Drug and Alcohol Dependence ◽

10.1016/0376-8716(82)90040-0 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 383-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Barbara A. Judson ◽

Avram Goldstein

Keyword(s):

Methadone Maintenance ◽

Term Outcome ◽

Heroin Addicts ◽

Long Term Outcome ◽

Maintenance Program ◽

Methadone Maintenance Program

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Quality of life in urologic cancer patients: importance of and satisfaction with specific quality of life domains

Quality of Life Research ◽

10.1007/s11136-021-02954-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Katja Leuteritz ◽

Diana Richter ◽

Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf ◽

Jens-Uwe Stolzenburg ◽

Andreas Hinz

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

General Population ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Patient Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Health Related Qol ◽

Health Related ◽

Importance Ratings ◽

Subjective Importance

Abstract Purpose Quality of life (QoL) has been the subject of increasing interest in oncology. Most examinations of QoL have focused on health-related QoL, while other factors often remain unconsidered. Moreover, QoL questionnaires implicitly assume that the subjective importance of the various QoL domains is identical from one patient to the next. The aim of this study was to analyze QoL in a broader sense, considering the subjective importance of the QoL components. Methods A sample of 173 male urologic patients was surveyed twice: once while hospitalized (t1) and once again 3 months later (t2). Patients completed the Questions on Life Satisfaction questionnaire (FLZ-M), which includes satisfaction and importance ratings for eight dimensions of QoL. A control group was taken from the general population (n = 477). Results Health was the most important QoL dimension for both the patient and the general population groups. While satisfaction with health was low in the patient group, the satisfaction ratings of the other seven domains were higher in the patient group than in the general population. The satisfaction with the domain partnership/sexuality showed a significant decline from t1 to t2. Multiple regression analyses showed that the domains health and income contributed most strongly to the global QoL score at t2 in the patient group. Conclusion Health is not the only relevant category when assessing QoL in cancer patients; social relationships and finances are pertinent as well. Importance ratings contribute to a better understanding of the relevance of the QoL dimensions for the patients.

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Determinants of participation and quality of life of young adults with cerebral palsy: longitudinal approach and comparison with the general population – SPARCLE 3 study protocol

BMC Neurology ◽

10.1186/s12883-021-02263-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Catherine Arnaud ◽

Carine Duffaut ◽

Jérôme Fauconnier ◽

Silke Schmidt ◽

Kate Himmelmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Young Adults ◽

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Young People ◽

General Population ◽

Transition Period ◽

Well Being ◽

Personal Factors ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Effective inclusion in society for young people with disabilities is increasingly seen as generating opportunities for self-development, and improving well-being. However, significant barriers remain in the vast majority of activities meaningful for young adults. Research argues that various personal (disabilities, health) and environmental (access to the resources needed, accessible environment, discrimination, lack of personal economic independence) factors contribute to limited participation. However, previous studies conducted in young people with cerebral palsy (CP) mainly investigated the transition period to adulthood, and did not fully consider the whole range of impairment severity profiles or environmental barriers. In this study, we will use the follow-up of the SPARCLE cohort and a comparison group from the general population (1) to investigate the impact of the environment on participation and quality of life of young adults with CP, (2) to determine predictors of a successful young adulthood in educational, professional, health and social fields, (3) to compare quality of life and frequency of participation in social, work and recreational activities with the general population, (4) to document on participation and quality of life in those with severe disabilities. Methods The SPARCLE3 study has a combined longitudinal and cross-sectional design. Young adults with CP aged 22 to 27 years in 6 European regions previously enrolled in the SPARCLE cohort or newly recruited will be invited to self-complete a comprehensive set of questionnaires exploring participation (daily life and discretionary activities), health-related quality of life, body function, personal factors (health, personal resources), and contextual factors (availability of needed environmental items, family environment, services provision) during home visits supervised by trained researchers. Proxy-reports or adapted questionnaires will be used for those with the most severe impairments. The recruitment of a large group from the general population (online survey) will enable to identify life areas where the discrepancies between young people with CP and their able-bodied peers are the most significant. Discussion This study will help identify to what extent disabilities and barriers in environment negatively affect participation and quality of life, and how previous valued experiences during childhood or adolescence might modulate these effects.

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