Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation (Aug 2023)
Bio-Psycho-Social Profile of People with Substance Use Disorders Treated in Locally Assigned Treatment Facilities in Kandahar, Afghanistan
Abstract
Muhammad Haroon Stanikzai, Mohammad Wahid Wahidi Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, Kandahar, AfghanistanCorrespondence: Muhammad Haroon Stanikzai, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kandahar University, District # 10, Kandahar, 3801, Afghanistan, Tel +93704775578, Email [email protected]: Substance use and its associated bio-psycho-social problems are public health concerns with harmful individual and social consequences.Objective: This study assessed the bio-psycho-social profile of people with substance use disorders (SUD) treated at locally assigned treatment facilities in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Methods: We conducted this facility-based cross-sectional study among 621 substance users receiving care at three locally assigned treatment facilities in November-December 2022. We performed multiple linear regression to determine factors associated with psychological symptoms.Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.41 (± 10.10 SD) years. The majority of our subjects (81.2%) perceived their physical health as very good or fair. More than two-thirds (73.4%) rated their social support as high. Of all participants, 541 (87.1%) had symptoms of depression, 569 (91.6%) of anxiety, and 442 (71.2%) of stress. The prevalence of severe depression, anxiety, and stress was 34.8%, 65.8%, and 27.3%, respectively. The multiple linear regression showed that several attributes of people with substance use disorders [ie, having a low level of education (β=0.12, p=< 0.001), being unemployed (β=0.31, p=< 0.001), having a low level of social support (β=− 0.35, p=< 0.001), had a pre-existing medical condition (β=− 0.28, p=< 0.001), and having lived abroad in the past ten years (β=0.10, p=0.001)] were significantly associated with higher DASS-21 total scores.Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of providing bio-psycho-social support programs and implementing therapeutic interventions to help people with substance use disorders, particularly those who are most susceptible to higher levels of bio-psycho-social problems.Keywords: depression, anxiety, stress, social support, co-morbidity, rehabilitation centers
