The pattern of substance use disorder in the United Arab Emirates in 2015: results of a National Rehabilitation Centre cohort study

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a global problem with no boundaries, which also afflicts individuals from countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Data from this region is limited. In an effort to develop targeted prevention and intervention initiatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it was necessary...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance abuse treatment, prevention and policy prevention and policy, 2016-05, Vol.11 (1), p.19-19, Article 19
Main Authors: Alblooshi, Hiba, Hulse, Gary K, El Kashef, Ahmed, Al Hashmi, Hanan, Shawky, Mansour, Al Ghaferi, Hamad, Al Safar, Habiba, Tay, Guan K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Care and treatment
Cohort Studies
Complications and side effects
Health aspects
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Opioids
Prescription Drug Misuse - statistics & numerical data
Risk Factors
Substance abuse
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
United Arab Emirates - epidemiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Substance use disorder (SUD) is a global problem with no boundaries, which also afflicts individuals from countries of the Arabian Peninsula. Data from this region is limited. In an effort to develop targeted prevention and intervention initiatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it was necessary to identify the nature of substance use by describing the characteristics of those using different substances. Consequently, this study in the UAE was conceived to describe the pattern of SUD in a first-ever cohort that was systematically recruited from the country's National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) in Abu Dhabi. Two hundred and fifty male patients were recruited from the NRC. Information on substance use was collected using a questionnaire that was completed at an interview with patients who consented to participate. The questionnaire was based on information that the study was designed to capture. It was reviewed by members of institutional ethics committees and approved prior to use. Two hundred and fifty male subjects from the Emirates Family Registry (EFR) were used as a comparison group. In the cohort studied, SUD correlated with smoking and marital status. Poly-substance users formed the majority of the cohort (84.4 %) with various combinations of substances identified across different age groups. Opioid and alcohol were the most common substances used. The use of pharmaceutical opioids, primarily Tramadol (67.2 % of opioid users), was higher among the youngest age group studied (
ISSN:1747-597X
1747-597X
DOI:10.1186/s13011-016-0062-5