Characteristics of individuals presenting to treatment for primary alcohol problems versus other drug problems in the Australian patient pathways study

LUBMAN, DI, GARFIELD, JBB, MANNING, V, BERENDS, L, BEST, David, MUGAVIN, JM, LAM, T, BUYKX, P, LARNER, A, LLOYD, B, ROOM, R and ALLSOP, S (2016). Characteristics of individuals presenting to treatment for primary alcohol problems versus other drug problems in the Australian patient pathways study. BMC Psychiatry, 16, p. 250.

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Abstract

Background: People seeking treatment for substance use disorders often have additional health and social issues. Although individuals presenting with alcohol as the primary drug of concern (PDOC) account for nearly half of all treatment episodes to the Australian alcohol and other drug (AOD) service system, previous treatment cohort studies have focused only on the profile of Australian heroin or methamphetamine users. While studies overseas indicate that clients seeking treatment primarily for their drinking are less likely to experience social and economic marginalisation than those seeking treatment primarily for illicit or pharmaceutical drug use, very little research has directly compared individuals presenting with alcohol as the PDOC to those primarily presenting with other drugs as their PDOC. Methods: Seven hundred and ninety-six participants were recruited at entry to specialist AOD treatment in Victoria and Western Australia, and completed measures of demographic and social factors, substance use, quality of life, service use, and criminal justice involvement. We compared those with alcohol as their PDOC to those with other drugs as their PDOC using Pearson chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: Rates of social disadvantage, poor quality of life, high severity of substance dependence, and past-year AOD, mental health, acute health, and social service use were high in all groups. However, participants with alcohol as the PDOC were older; more likely to have an educational qualification; less likely to report criminal justice involvement, housing/homelessness service use, tobacco smoking, or problems with multiple substances; and reported better environmental quality of life; but were more likely to have used ambulance services, than those with other drugs as their PDOC. Conclusions: While those seeking treatment primarily for alcohol problems appear less likely to suffer some forms of social and economic disadvantage or to use multiple substances than those with a primary drug problem, they experience similarly high levels of substance dependence severity and mental health and AOD service use. These findings reinforce the need for AOD services to integrate or coordinate care with programs that address the many complexities clients frequently present with, while also acknowledging differences between those seeking treatment for alcohol versus other drug problems.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Alcohol; Drug; Quality of life; Service use; Socioeconomic disadvantage; Substance use disorder; Substance use treatment; Adolescent; Adult; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Child; Female; Health Status; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Quality of Life; Social Discrimination; Substance-Related Disorders; Victoria; Western Australia; Young Adult; Humans; Substance-Related Disorders; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Health Status; Quality of Life; Adolescent; Adult; Middle Aged; Child; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Victoria; Western Australia; Female; Male; Young Adult; Social Discrimination; 1103 Clinical Sciences; Psychiatry
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0956-9
Page Range:	p. 250
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited:	01 Apr 2019 11:14
Last Modified:	18 Mar 2021 05:50
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/22784

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