Health Profiles of Clients in Substance Abuse Treatment: A Comparison of Clients Dependent on Alcohol or Cocaine With Those Concurrently Dependent. (6th December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Macdonald, Scott; Pakula, Basia; Martin, Gina; Wells, Samantha; Borges, Guilherme; Roth, Eric; Salmon, Amy; Stockwell, Tim; Callaghan, Russell C.
• Is Part Of: Substance use & misuse. Volume 49:Number 14(2014)
• Page Start: 1899
• Page End: 1907
• Publication Date: 2014-12-06
• Subjects: Narcotic habit -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Behavior, Addictive -- Periodicals; Sustance-Related Disorders -- Periodicals; 362.2905
• DOI: 10.3109/10826084.2014.935791
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1082-6084

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>The purpose of this study was to assess whether, among clients receiving substance abuse treatment (<italic>n</italic> = 616), those dependent on alcohol or cocaine differed significantly from those concurrently dependent on both drugs in terms of physical, mental, social, and economic harms as well as substance use behaviors. <italic>Methods</italic>: Clients from five substance abuse treatment agencies presenting with a primary problem of cocaine or alcohol were classified into three groups as dependent on: (1) alcohol alone, (2) cocaine alone, or (3) both cocaine and alcohol (i.e. concurrent dependence). Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included details of their drug and alcohol use, physical health, mental health, social health, economic health, and demographic characteristics. <italic>Results</italic>: The concurrent group drank similar amounts of alcohol as those in the alcohol group and used similar amounts of cocaine as the cocaine group. The alcohol group had significantly (<italic>p</italic> < .05) poorer health profiles than the concurrent group across most variables of the four health domains. An exception was significantly more accidental injuries (<italic>p</italic> < .05) in the alcohol group. In both bivariate and multivariate analyses, the concurrent group had significantly (<italic>p</italic> < .05) more accidental injuries, violence, and overdoses than the cocaine group. As well, the concurrent group had significantly (<italic>p</italic> < .05) higher scores on the anxiety and sexual compulsion scales than the cocaine group, controlling for demographic variables. <italic>Conclusion</italic>: These findings can aid health care professionals to better respond to issues related to concurrent dependence of cocaine and alcohol.</p> </abstract>