Predictors of transitions across stages of heroin use and dependence prior to treatment-seeking among people in treatment for opioid dependence.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Little is known about transition pathways among heroin users prior to treatment. This study examined the demographic and clinical predictors of transition speed from heroin use, to dependence, to first treatment episode.

Methods

1149 heroin-dependent participants recruited from opioid agonist treatment clinics in Sydney, Australia, underwent a structured interview. Age of onset (AOO) was collected for heroin use, dependence and treatment-seeking, childhood maltreatment, psychiatric history and other substance dependence. Discrete-time survival analyses modelled years from onset of use to dependence, and from dependence to treatment-seeking, including demographic and clinical covariates.

Findings

Median AOO for first heroin use, dependence and treat

SUBMITTER: Larance B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6698181 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature