title: Quality of Life in Patients with Substance Use Disorders Admitted to Detoxification Compared with Those Admitted to Hospitals for Medical Disorders: Follow-Up Results.
abstract: Quality of life (QoL) in patients admitted to a general hospital was compared with those admitted to a detoxification unit for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD). This study combines data from two separate data collections: a cross-sectional study in a general hospital unit (somatic sample, N = 519) and a follow-up study in a detoxification unit (SUD sample, N = 140). A total of 659 patients recruited during 2008-2013 were included in this study. All patients completed a generic QoL questionnaire at inclusion, and the SUD sample also completed it at the six-month follow-up. SUD patients experienced comparably low physical QoL and had significantly lower psychological, social, and existential QoL domain scores when compared with the somatic sample. Mental distress and having a SUD were the major factors explaining variations in QoL, with both influencing QoL negatively. In the SUD sample, QoL improved moderately at the six-month follow-up with less improvement for the domain relationship to a partner. To facilitate the recovery of SUD patients, clinicians must view their patients' situation holistically and invest efforts into the different life domains affected by poor QoL.
authors.affiliation: Addiction Unit, Sørlandet Hospital HF, Kristiansand, Norway.
authors.forename: John-Kåre
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Vederhus
authors.affiliation: Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Are Hugo
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Pripp
authors.affiliation: Addiction Unit, Sørlandet Hospital HF, Kristiansand, Norway.; Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clausen
keywords: Norway; detoxification; quality of life; substance-related disorders