Drug-related problems among polysubstance and monosubstance users: a cross-sectional study

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence as well as the sociodemographic and clinical correlates among patients diagnosed with polysubstance use who sought treatment in comparison to monosubstance users. Design and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included 100 patients diagnosed with SUDs based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria who sought treatment. The said patients were assessed using structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I) and DSM-IV Axis II disorders (SCID-II), in addition to urine screen for drugs. Furthermore, the addiction severity index (ASI) was employed to assess drug-related problems in these patients. Results: The results show that 46% of the SUDs patients demonstrate polysubstance use, which primarily includes tramadol (92%), cannabis (86%) and alcohol (59%). Polysubstance users are more likely to be males, skilled workers and smokers compared to monosubstance users. Moreover, polysubstance use is associated with alcohol, drug, legal and psychiatric problems based on the ASI scores in comparison to monosubstance use. Additionally, polysubstance patients are two times more likely to suffer from antisocial personality disorders (ASPD) than monosubstance patients (24% in contrast to 9%). Conclusions: Polysubstance use is associated with the male gender, employment, smoking, ASPD and drug-related problems.