Abstract
BackgroundThis study evaluates the benefits of integrating behavioral health and trauma services for Latinas with a history drug use. Changes in quality of life (QOL) domains were documented after participation in a manualized intervention in a cohort of Latinas.MethodsParticipants were part of a prospective cohort study of 136 Latinas with co-occurring disorders (COD) who may have experienced trauma and receiving services in our outpatient treatment facility in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. The WHOQOL-BREF Spanish version was used to score physical, psychological, social, and environmental QOL domains, at intake and after six months. Sociodemographic variables, alcohol, drug use, mental health disorders, and severity of substance use disorders (as defined by the DSM-5) were also tabulated. Descriptive statistics and paired t test or the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were computed for comparison.ResultsA median age of 39 years was seen and with 76% high school education or higher degree. The majority were unemployed (95.9%). A diagnosis of severe cocaine use (51.4%) was present and almost half (49.5%) had three or more DSM-5 diagnoses. Mean QOL scores were higher at six months with statistically significant differences in each domain. Women with neurodevelopmental disorders and schizophrenia yielded higher mean QOL scores for each domain at six months except for the social domain. Women with polydrug use and women who reported exposure to trauma and depressive disorder experienced statistically significant increments in the physical, psychological and social domains in comparison to counterpart women.ConclusionsSignificant and positive changes in QOL were found in each domain. Latinas who reported traumatic events had lower scores in the physical and psychological QOL domains. There was a high prevalence of diminished physical and mental functioning in Latinas with COD. The exposure to trauma and the lack of social support negatively affect treatment access and retention for Latinas.
Highlights
This study evaluates the benefits of integrating behavioral health and trauma services for Latinas with a history drug use
Gender disparities may exist in women who engage in substance use disorders (SUD) treatment services in terms of quality of health status, social context, and environmental conditions in the US [14]
This study aims to evaluate the benefits of an integrated behavioral health and trauma-specific services for Latinas with substance use disorders and mental illness
Summary
This study evaluates the benefits of integrating behavioral health and trauma services for Latinas with a history drug use. The quality of life (QOL) is a significant indicator of wellness among individuals and has been studied as a relevant clinical construct in the provision of care for substance use, and recovery services. Co-occurring mental health disorders and sociodemographic factors including gender, age, and educational attainment are mediating variables which influence QOL in individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) [5, 8, 9]. Published studies suggest that women in treatment for alcohol use disorder with co-occurring depression had lower QOL than women without depressive symptoms [10,11,12,13]. Gender disparities may exist in women who engage in SUD treatment services in terms of quality of health status, social context, and environmental conditions (e.g., housing, safety, and security) in the US [14]. Other authors have presented data suggesting that recent alcohol or drug use, being in treatment, and the number of sessions attended were not significantly associated with improvements in QOL among women with SUD [14]
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