Quality of life among drug-dependent and non-drug dependent individuals in Iran

Abstract

Background: Drug dependency is one of the most important issues in any society and it is among the most widespread health risk factors. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine quality of life in drug- dependent individuals, who were under methadone treatment, and non-drug dependent persons in Shahroud (northeast of Iran). Methods: In this comparative study, 266 drug dependent participants and 541 non-drug dependent participants were studied in 2014. The Persian version of SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were analyzed using chi square test, t test, and ANOVA. Results: The majority of the participants (77.1%) in both groups were male. The mean age of drug-dependent participants was 37.6±10.7, the mean duration of drug dependency was 12.0±9.3 years, and the mean duration of treatment in methadone maintenance treatment centers (MMT) was 24.6±22.6 months. No significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed between the 2 groups in any aspects of quality of life other than the vitality (P = 0.001). Conclusions: In this study, quality of life scores were not significantly different between drug dependent and non-dependent participants. It seems that treatment with the use of methadone and buprenorphine can play a good role in improving quality of life of addicts.