Quality of life of people who inject drugs: characteristics and comparisons with other population samples
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Quality of life of people who inject drugs: characteristics and comparisons with other population samples Jane A. Fischer • Sue Conrad • Alexandra M. Clavarino Robert Kemp • Jackob M. Najman
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Accepted: 10 January 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
Abstract Purpose To assess the quality of life (QOL) of persons who inject drugs. Methods Some 483 current injecting drug users visiting a large NSP over a 2-week period in October 2009 were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. QOL was measured using the WHOQOL-BREF. Data were collected on age, gender, injecting patterns, current drug treatment status and hepatitis C status. Participant QOL profiles were compared to published domain scores for a range of other population groups. Results People who inject drugs (PWID) experience a very poor QOL irrespective of socio-demographic characteristics, injecting patterns, hepatitis C sero-status and drug treatment status. Sample participants (PWID) experience a QOL below that experienced by many population groups in the community affected by disabling chronic illnesses.
Conclusions Injecting drug use is associated with a poor QOL. Some PWID may be self-medicating for chronic non-malignant pain, and it is likely that these people had a low QOL prior to the decision to inject. Despite this caveat, it remains likely that injecting drug use does little to enhance the QOL of the user.
J. A. Fischer A. M. Clavarino Pharmacy Australia Centre for Excellence (PACE), School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba 4102, Australia
S. Conrad Biala Harm Reduction Centre, Queensland Health, 270 Roma Street, Brisbane 4000, Australia
J. A. Fischer Centre for Drug and Alcohol Studies/Statewide Services, Queensland Health, 270 Roma Street, Brisbane 4000, Australia J. A. Fischer (&) National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, Australia e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords People who inject drugs Quality of life Needle and syringe programme
Introduction Little is known about the quality of life (QOL) of people who inject drugs (PWID) [1, 2]. There are negative stereotypes associated with injecting drug use [3–5], and these may reflect a critical view of persons who selfmedicate in order to attain a positive mood. Recent estimate is that 11–21 million persons globally injected drugs
R. Kemp Needle and Syringe Program, Management Unit, Queensland Health, Herston 4006, Australia J. M. Najman School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4067, Australia
S. Conrad J. M. Najman School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Herston 4006, Australia
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experienced by persons with a range of other chronic disabling conditions.
[6] and 35.5 % of Australia’s 75,000 PWIDs accessing sterile injecting equipment from needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) [7]. There is a prevalent stereotype that PWID is intended for pleasure and to enhance a drug users’ QOL. Th
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