HARCP Archives

Browse by article

Browse by volume

Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2018, 20, N3 (pages: 33 - 40)

Impact of Employment and Marital Status on Lapse Risk Situations among Addicted Patients in Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Abed M.

Summary: Background: Identifying risk situations for lapses into substance abuse plays a central role in planning appropriate treatments and predicting the possibility of lapse and relapse. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 160 addicted male patients in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) were chosen from four randomly selected MMT centres in Isfahan. The inclusion criteria were being male opioid users who were in MMT treatment and were willing to participate in the study. Of these 160 participants, 82 were single and 78 married; in addition, 90 of them were employed and the other 70 unemployed at the time of the study. For data collection, patients were asked to complete the Inventory of Drug-Taking Situations (IDTS), a self-report questionnaire for risk situations. Results: The results of MANOVA analysis indicated that Physical Discomfort and Pleasant Times with Others were risk situations for the employed participants, whereas Pleasant Emotions, Urges and Temptations to Use, Social Pressure to Use and Testing Personal Control were the main risk situations for the unemployed ones. Considering marital status, Unpleasant Emotions, Physical Discomfort and Conflict with Others were the risk factors for the married participants, whereas Pleasant Emotions, Pleasant Times with Others, Urges and Temptations to Use, Social Pressure to Use and Testing Personal Control were the situations at risk for the single ones. Conclusions: Occupational activities are essential for lapse/relapse prevention, since they facilitate the establishment of non-substance abusing social networks; moreover, while married participants had fewer risk situations, it is likely that married life is open to influence from an addicted partner.