The functioning and well being of persons who seek treatment for drug and alcohol use.
We assessed the reliability of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (SF-20) in a heterogeneous group of persons seeking drug and alcohol treatment. Patients (n = 2688) seeking detoxification and treatment at four intake sites for Addiction Treatment in Boston, Massachusetts, received all components of the SF-20 including physical, role, and social functioning; mental health; health perception and bodily pain. The primary drugs used were alcohol 38%, cocaine 38%, heroin 24%. Reliability coefficients for the MOS scales ranged from 0.70 to 0.92. Users of these three drugs had similar profiles among the health components. Sociodemographic characteristics in combination explained 2-7% of score variance. Alcohol and other drug use had little effect on physical or role function scores. Health perception and pain subscale scores were low. We conclude the MOS survey is a reliable measure of function and well being in this population. Like other chronic diseases, alcohol and drug use have powerful effects on quality of life.
Brown School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence 02903, USA. Michael_Stein@Brown.edu
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D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation