Bio-Psycho-Social Profile of People with Substance Use Disorders Treated in Locally Assigned Treatment Facilities in Kandahar, Afghanistan

BACKGROUND: Substance use and its associated bio-psycho-social problems are public health concerns with harmful individual and social consequences. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the bio-psycho-social profile of people with substance use disorders (SUD) treated at locally assigned treatment facilities in Kandahar, Afghanistan. METHODS: We conducted this facility-based cross-sectional study among 621 substance users receiving care at three locally assigned treatment facilities in November-December 2022. We performed multiple linear regression to determine factors associated with psychological symptoms. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 34.41 (± 10.10 SD) years. The majority of our subjects (81.2%) perceived their physical health as very good or fair. More than two-thirds (73.4%) rated their social support as high. Of all participants, 541 (87.1%) had symptoms of depression, 569 (91.6%) of anxiety, and 442 (71.2%) of stress. The prevalence of severe depression, anxiety, and stress was 34.8%, 65.8%, and 27.3%, respectively. The multiple linear regression showed that several attributes of people with substance use disorders [ie, having a low level of education (β=0.12, p=<0.001), being unemployed (β=0.31, p=<0.001), having a low level of social support (β=−0.35, p=<0.001), had a pre-existing medical condition (β=−0.28, p=<0.001), and having lived abroad in the past ten years (β=0.10, p=0.001)] were significantly associated with higher DASS-21 total scores. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of providing bio-psycho-social support programs and implementing therapeutic interventions to help people with substance use disorders, particularly those who are most susceptible to higher levels of bio-psycho-social problems.