| 1. |
- de la Fuente, Luis, et al.
(författare)
-
Metodología del estudio de cohortes del proyecto ITINERE sobre consumidores de heroína en tres ciudades españolas y características básicas de los participantes
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Revista Española de Salud Pública. - 1135-5727. ; 79, s. 475-491
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cohort Study Methodology of the ITINERE Project on Heroin Users in Three Spanish Cities and Main Characteristics of the ParticipantsBackground: Cohort studies make it possible to monitor the health impact of drug use and to identify related factors. We describe the methodology and baseline characteristics of a cohort of heroin users designed with this objective. Methods: The participants were 991 young, community-recruited heroin users in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville. Most subjects were named by other participants (39.7%) or by non-participating drug users or ex-users (44.7%). A computer-aided questionnaire was administered (self-administered with audio for questions related with sex). A dried-blood spot sample was collected and anthropometric measurements were made. Both participants and recruiters received remuneration. Univariate and bivariate statistical methods were used. Results: Some 42.4% had changed the main route of heroin administration, mainly to injection in Barcelona and to the pulmonary route in Seville. About 75.8% (Barcelona), 49.8% (Madrid), and 15.5% (Seville) had injected drugs in the last 12 months. In Madrid and Seville, 96-97% used heroin in base form, while in Barcelona heroin hydrochloride predominated. Heroin and cocaine were frequently mixed in the same dose (generally base cocaine in Madrid and Seville, and cocaine hydrochloride in Barcelona). Conclusions: Important geographic differences persist in the prevalence of drug injection and in the patterns of heroin and cocaine use, which could explain the unequal distribution of some health problems. The difficulties encountered in recruiting the sample suggest that the incidence of heroin use has declined considerably.
|
|
| 2. |
- González-Saiz, Francisco, et al.
(författare)
-
Validity of the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) construct applying the Item Response Theory to a non-clinical sample of heroin users
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Substance Use & Misuse. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1082-6084 .- 1532-2491. ; 43:7, s. 919-935
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: The purpose of this work is to study the validity of the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS) construct by applying Rasch models to a non-clinical sample of heroin abusers. Subjects: 982 (73% men) young people 30 years old or under (mean age 25.9 years) participated. All of them were captured from the community in the metropolitan areas of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, between April 2002 and December 2003. Analysis: Dimensionality of the scale and calibration of items were studied using the Rating Scale model, which is a Rasch-type model. A factorial analysis was also performed to check the dimensionality of the scale. Results: The analysis of fit shows that all the items have infit and outfit values between ± 2 logits, indicating that the data fit the model and that it may be assumed to be unidimensional. The principal components analysis also showed the existence of a principal factor that explains 52.5% of the variance observed. Item calibration found that they are between +0.89 and −1.04 logits on the scale. Conclusion: The results show unidimensional structure of the SDS scale. Item calibration shows they are distributed along the continuum, which must be taken into account when calculating total scores. The study's limitations are noted.
|
|
| 3. |
- Rodriguez-Llera, MC, et al.
(författare)
-
Psychiatric comorbidity in young heroin users
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Drug And Alcohol Dependence. - : Elsevier BV. - 0376-8716 .- 1879-0046. ; 84:1, s. 48-55
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to determine the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in a population of young heroin users recruited from outside of the healthcare context, a sample was assembled by targeted sampling and nomination techniques; it was comprised of regular current users of heroin aged between 18 and 30 years and resident in Barcelona, Spain. Psychiatric evaluation was done with the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM) semi-structured interview. Of 149 individuals evaluated, 33% were women, whose mean age was 25.1 years; 93% received a diagnosis of heroin dependence and 71% of cocaine dependence. Thirty-two percent of the subjects had never been treated for substance use. Around two-thirds (67.1%, 95% CI: 59.6-74.7%) of the sample had lifetime psychiatric comorbidity, with antisocial personality and mood disorders being the most frequent conditions (33% and 26%, respectively). Mood, anxiety and eating disorders were more common among women than men. There were no differences in ever having been in treatment for drug use according to the presence of psychiatric comorbidity, although comorbidity was lower among those currently in treatment. Young heroin users recruited on the street presented a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity which was unrelated to past treatment history.
|
|
