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SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC RISK FACTORS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER AMONG PATIENTS PRESENTING FOR REHABILITATION

Faiza Memon, Muhammad Ilyas Siddiqui, Shazia Rehman Shaikh, Masood Ahmed , Khalil ur Rahman Kazi, Allah Bachayo Rajar, Aatir H. Rajput, Muhammad Muneeb

Background: Substance abuse disorder has seen a tremendous increase in prevalence around the world and unlike other disorders that have a known propensity to develop in the presence of certain genetic or environmental factors, it does not have any such well researched risk factors. Thus owing to the high morbidity and serious social problems in the form of crime, unemployment, family dysfunction and disproportionate use of medical care that result from this condition, more efforts need to be allocated to researching the disorder and its risk factors. Objective: To identify the probable sociodemographic predictors of substance abuse disorder among patients presenting for rehabilitation. Methodology: This retrospective cohort was conducted upon a sample of 380 patients (aged 18 years and above) suffering from substance abuse disorder presenting to a drug rehabilitation center. No gender bias was observed, and the sample was collected using non-probability, consecutive sampling. Data was collected using a pre0structured, interview-based questionnaire comprising of inquiring regarding basic biodata and sociodemographic details along with history and complete particulars of their substance abuse disorder. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS v.21 & Microsoft Excel 360. Results: Among the 380-patient enrolled into the study, 66.32% were males while the remaining 33.68% were females. The mean age of the sample stood at 33 (SD ± 9.1). A large number of respondents (35%) initiated drug abuse in the teenage years. Majority of the subjects were educated up to at least secondary level (47.11%), whereas 7.9% of the patients were students. Heroin was the most abused substance (47.9%) followed by cannabis (27.9%). The mean duration of substance abuse was between 1 and 5 years, whereas a marked fraction of subjects (9.2%) had more than 16 years of duration of abuse. Family disputes and peer pressure were the most common reasons for initiation of substance abuse. Conclusion: After careful consideration, it can be contrary to popular belief, educated and employed males are more at risk of succumbing to substance abuse. Heroin is the commonest culprit and steps should be taken to control trafficking this drug into the country. Key Words: Druf Abuse, Heroin, Cannabis, Socio-Demographic and Risk Factors.

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