OBJECTIVETo investigate the quality of life of heroin dependent patients with methadone maintenance therapy and its influencing factors.

METHODSTotally 462 heroin dependent patients who were receiving methadone maintenance therapy in Mangshi, Ruili, Longchuan, Yingjiang, Lianghe of Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province were randomly selected using proportional stratified sampling and interviewed with the WHO Quality of Life-BREF (QOL-BREF) in order to understand their quality of life in the fields of physical, psychological, social relationships, and environmental function during 4 weeks ago before interviewing, and the influencing factors of the quality of life.

RESULTSAmong the 462 patients, 451 patients (97.6%) were male and 11 (2.4%) were female. Their average age was (37.80 ± 9.13) years old; 145 patients (31.39%) unmarried, 270 patients (58.44%) were married; 35.93% (166/462) of patients had primary school education, 37.23% (172/462) of patients had senior high school education. The patients had a score of 54.11 ± 6.74 for total quality of life and well being and a score of 14.31 ± 2.23, 13.28 ± 1.79, 13.90 ± 2.52, 12.63 ± 1.77 for physical, psychological, social relationships and environmental function, respectively. The quality of life for physical, psychological, social relationships and environmental function of the group of patients which ages between 30 to 40, unmarried, high middle school and above education, length of drug addiction more than 10 years before receiving treatment, treatment duration less than 6 months, incoming from temporary job were with lower score for total quality of life and well being. The quality of life for physical, psychological was lower for those aged between 16 and 30 when becoming first time drug user, which scores were 14.29 ± 2.25 and 13.22 ± 1.84, respectively. The quality of life for physical, psychological, social relationships of the group of patients which injecting drug only or injecting drug with other manners before receiving treatment were lower, which scores were 13.92 ± 2.25, 13.08 ± 1.67, 13.25 ± 2.60 for injecting drug only and 13.67 ± 2.52, 13.43 ± 1.71, 13.80 ± 2.56 for injecting drug with other manners.

CONCLUSIONAttending and keeping methadone maintenance therapy could improve the quality of life of heroin dependent patients. Age, marriage status, education, time of drug use, treatment duration may be the influential factors.