The effect of stress and locus of control on continued substance use during opioid substitution treatment for opioid dependency

Abstract

In Australia, it is estimated that $55.4 billion is spent annually due to the direct and indirect costs of problematic drug use. Worldwide, it is estimated that 32 million individuals misuse opioids, with 16 million misusing heroin. To date, the Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) programs are the most common treatment of opioid addiction at a global scale. Although MMT diminishes withdrawal symptoms, continued substance and polydrug use remains a salient issue within treatment settings. As relapse remains problematic, current literature implies that stress, Locus of Control (LOC) and exposure to high-risk situations are key contributors to relapse. Fifty opioid dependent participants, aged between 19-64 years old, who currently receive opioid substitution treatment at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) in Camperdown, Sydney, were recruited for the present study. Independent t-tests, chi square and logistic regression were conducted on demographic, stress, LOC and high-risk context variants in the aim of establishing a predictor model for continued substance use. No significant results were found all analyses, however, data trends highlight that higher stress scores indicated greater use for all drug use classes, cannabinoids and benzodiazepines. Higher LOC score trends also suggested greater substance use for all drug classes. The results support literature identifying continued drug use within medically assisted treatment programs in an Australian sample. Future research should continue to identify individual variants that can predict continued substance use and adapt these findings in creating a holistic, multimodal approach to addiction treatment, as medically assisted interventions alone appear to be ineffective for many opioid dependent patients.

Date of Award	2018
Original language	English