Citation

Hojjat SK, Hatami SE, Rezaei M. Addict. Disord. Their Treat. 2018; 17(1): 13-20.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/ADT.0000000000000117

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to answer the question as to how demographic characteristics and the history of high-risk behavior play a role for therapists to select the method of maintenance treatment or how other factors have been important in this selection.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during the period 2015 to 2016 in maintenance treatment clinics in the North Khorasan province (North East of Iran). Besides demographic data, the studied variables include the type of drugs, duration of usage, age of first use, the type of maintenance therapy, and the presence or absence of lifetime risk behaviors (eg, injection, unsafe sex, prison history, and history of suicide attempt).

RESULTS: A total of 7342 patients from 79 centers were admitted to participate in this study. In all, 82.17% of the participants were male individuals, and 17.82% were female individuals. Opium and opium sap (88.53%) and heroin or crack (11.46%) were the most commonly used drugs among the studied subjects. The type of substance, demographic characteristics, and the history of high-risk behaviors (except for injection) showed significant differences in the treatment method with methadone, buprenorphine, and opium tincture.

CONCLUSIONS: It seems that the selection made by Iranian therapists to enter the patients into maintenance treatments was based on the wrong criteria, and there was a financial relationship between the patients and the therapists in the centers being effective in selecting the type of treatment. This issue can greatly affect harm reduction policies in the maintenance treatment centers. © Copyright 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

adult; human; age; female; male; Iran; prison; sex difference; suicide attempt; comparative study; major clinical study; marriage; priority journal; middle aged; opiate; high risk behavior; psychologist; cross-sectional study; demography; diamorphine; methadone; maintenance therapy; injection; unsafe sex; educational status; Article; employment status; buprenorphine; treatment duration; high-risk behaviors; demographic characteristics; maintenance treatments