Quality of life and its correlates among heroin users in Taiwan

The aims of this study were to compare the quality of life (QOL) between subjects with and without heroin use and to examine the association of QOL with sociodemographic characteristics, characteristics of heroin use, family support, and depression among heroin users at entry to a methadone maintenance treatment program. A group of 123 heroin users who visited an outpatient addiction treatment clinic in southern Taiwan for methadone maintenance treatment were recruited into this study. We also recruited 106 subjects who had never used heroin as the control group. Their QOL status was assessed by the short form of the Taiwan Version of the World Health Organization Questionnaire on Quality of Life (the WHOQOL-BREF Taiwan version). The level of QOL between subjects with and without heroin use was compared, and the correlates of QOL among heroin users were examined. Heroin users had poorer QOL than nonusers in the physical, psychological, and social relationship domains but not the environment domain of the WHOQOL-BREF after controlling for the influences of other factors. In addition, heroin users with obvious depression had poorer QOL in all four domains than those without obvious depression. Also, heroin users who perceived higher family support had better QOL in the social relationship and environment domains. Heroin users had poorer QOL than nonusers in multiple domains. Relief of depressive symptoms and enhancement of family support should be important strategies to improve QOL in heroin users.

摘要本研究的目的在於比較海洛因使用者和非海洛因使用者生活品質的差異，並探討海洛因使用者在接受美沙酮維持治療前的生活品質和社會人口學資料、海洛因使用情形、家庭支持度和憂鬱程度之間的關連性。本研究以台灣簡明版世界衛生組織生活品質問卷，比較123位海洛因使用者和106位非海洛因使用者對照組個案之生活品質高低，同時調查海洛因使用者的生活品質之相關因子為何。海洛因使用者在生理、心理、社會關係等生活品質分項目皆比對照組個案較差，但在環境分項目上則無顯著差異。有多重因子與海洛因使用者的生活品質高低具相關性，包括合併顯著憂鬱者的生活品質在四個分項上皆較差，感受到較高家庭支持度者在社會關係及環境分項上有較佳之生活品質。由本研究結果可知：海洛因使用者的生活品質在許多分項上皆比非海洛因使用者差，改善憂鬱症狀及增加家庭支持度可以有效改善其生活品質。