Association between severity of illicit drug dependence and quality of life in a psychosocial care center in BRAZIL: cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life must be one of the main purposes for the treatment of drug users, requiring a better understanding of the association between the quality of life and the severity of dependency. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between severity of substance use in various areas of human functioning and quality of life of illicit drug users in a psychosocial care center for alcohol and drugs. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 60 participants - illicit drug users - treated at a psychosocial care center for alcohol and drugs. Participants were evaluated with the short version of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref) instrument to measure the quality of life, the 6th version of Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6) to assess the severity of dependence in several areas and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) to identify the presence of psychiatric disorders. Pearson and Spearman correlation tests and linear regression were applied to verify the association between the severity of dependence and the quality of life, and Student's t-test to compare the mean quality of life between individuals with and without psychiatric comorbidities. RESULTS: Negative correlation was found between the severity of dependence on the drugs dimensions: alcohol, psychiatric, medical, legal, family/social support and family/social problems of ASI-6, and the quality of life domains measured by the WHOQOL-Bref. The evidence was strongest in the psychiatric and medical dimensions. There was a significant difference in the quality of life mean among participants presenting or not presenting psychiatric comorbidities, for the psychological domain in anxiety disorders, and for the physical and psychological domains in mood disorders. CONCLUSION: The quality of life decreased as the severity of dependence increased, with different results in the various areas of the participant's life. This result emphasizes the need for training the professional team which works in the substance use disorders area for more comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and more appropriate therapeutic interventions for each area. The associations were more evident in the medical and psychiatric fields, indicating the need for greater attention to be paid in relation to medical and psychiatric comorbidities.

Prevalence of comorbid substance use disorders with anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder in people seeking treatment for substance abuse: a systematic review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review will aim to assess evidence of the prevalence of comorbid substance use disorders with anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder in people seeking treatment for substance use. INTRODUCTION: Research shows that anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder are highly prevalent in people with substance use disorders and can worsen the treatment outcomes, increasing the risk of relapse and poor adherence. However, evidence from systematic reviews on the prevalence of these comorbidities in substance use treatment settings is limited. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Participants will be people seeking treatment for substance use. Studies will be included if they have investigated the prevalence of the comorbid substance use disorders with anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder in treatment settings. METHODS: Primary studies will be screened from the databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Embase, and from searches to source gray literature. Eligible cross-sectional and cohort studies published after 1994 with no language limits will be retrieved, and their methodological quality will be assessed. Data extraction will include study details, methods, and outcomes. Results will be described by narrative summary or, if studies are sufficiently similar, a meta-analysis will be performed. Prevalence data will be pooled for meta-analysis by a random effects model. The results will be presented graphically in a forest plot. Data heterogeneity will be statistically tested using χ2 and I2 tests. If substantial heterogeneity is detected, sources of heterogeneity will be explored by subgroup analysis and meta-regression, and results will be presented by a narrative summary. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020149956.

Qualidade de vida em pesquisas com usuários em tratamento para abuso e dependência de substâncias / Quality of life in studies with patients under treatment for substance abuse and addiction

O estudo objetivou identificar instrumentos de Qualidade de Vida e sua finalidade em pesquisas com usuários em tratamento para abuso e dependência de substâncias. Trata-se de revisão integrativa, cujos artigos estavam disponíveis na Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS), e publicados entre 2010 e 2015 com os descritores Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias e Qualidade de Vida associados. Vinte e nove textos foram analisados e os instrumentos agrupados em quatro diferentes possibilidades de utilização de medidas de Qualidade de Vida. A maioria utilizou instrumentos genéricos, tais como WHOQOL-Bref de Qualidade de Vida geral, e SF-36 de Qualidade de Vida Relacionada à Saúde (QVRS). Recomenda-se a realização de mais estudos relacionados ao uso de instrumentos de Qualidade de Vida no âmbito da dependência, principalmente em relação aos instrumentos específicos que começam a surgir nas pesquisas e ainda não são consolidados na área.

The purpose of this study was to find Quality of Life (QoL) instruments and their purpose in studies with patients under treatment for substance abuse and addiction. This is an integrative review, whose articles were available on the Virtual Health Library (VHL) and published between 2010 and 2015 with the associated descriptors "Substance-Related Disorders" and "Quality of Life". Twenty-nine texts were analyzed and the instruments were grouped into four possible uses of measurement of Quality of Life. The majority used generic instruments such as WHOQOL-Bref for general Quality of Life and the SF-36 of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). It is recommended that further studies be carried out on the use of Quality of Life instruments in relation to addiction, especially with specific instruments that are beginning to appear in some studies and which have not been consolidated in the field.