Relationships between received and perceived social support and health-related quality of life among patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Mainland China

• Published in: Substance abuse treatment, prevention and policy Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 33
• Main Authors: Zhou, Kaina, Li, Hengxin, Wei, Xiaoli, Yin, Juan, Liang, Peifeng, Zhang, Hongmei, Kou, Lingling, Hao, Mengmeng, You, Lijuan, Li, Xiaomei, Zhuang, Guihua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 26.06.2017; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Analysis; China; Complications and side effects; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dosage and administration; Drug addiction; Female; Health-related quality of life; Humans; Male; Methadone; Methadone - therapeutic use; Methadone maintenance; Methadone maintenance treatment; Middle Aged; Opiate Substitution Treatment - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Quality of Life; Social Support; Studies; Substance abuse treatment; Young Adult; China; Health-related quality of life; Methadone maintenance treatment; Social support
• ISSN: 1747-597X; 1747-597X
• DOI: 10.1186/s13011-017-0116-3

Social support has been considered one of the most important factors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) evaluations among different populations; however, few studies have explored the relationships of both received and perceived social support to HRQoL among patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to clarify these relationships. Participants were patients admitted at the two largest privately and publicly funded MMT clinics in Xi'an. The main explanatory variable was social support, both received (i.e., social network support and professional support services) and perceived (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). The outcome was HRQoL, which was evaluated using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2) and the Quality of Life Scale for Drug Addicts (QOL-DAv2.0). We carried out independent samples t-tests and multiple linear regression analysis to examine the relationships between received and perceived social support and HRQoL. The study findings revealed that patients with good social support had significantly higher scores on the SF-36v2 and QOL-DAv2.0 (p < 0.05). After controlling for individual characteristics, the significant factors predicting HRQoL were good family relationships, usually communicating with others, a convenient service time, appropriate treatment charges, and good perceived social support (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that received and perceived social support influences HRQoL among individuals receiving MMT. Thus, these variables should be considered during health management efforts and interventions directed at this patient population.