A Multi-Site Cross-Sectional Study of Anxiety Symptoms and the Associated Factors Among Chinese Drug Users Undergoing Compulsory Detoxification Treatment

Compulsory drug detoxification treatment (CDT) is currently the major drug rehabilitation modality in China, and drug users often suffer from extraordinary levels of stress during CDT, leading to a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms. This study assesses anxiety symptoms of the drug users undergoing CDT and explores the associated factors. A cross-sectional study with cluster sampling was conducted in three cities in Liaoning Province of Northeast China. Nine hundred CDT drug users were interviewed face-to-face with Chinese questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) analysis was conducted to explore the factors associated with anxiety symptoms. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms among the CDT drug users was substantially high (33.2%). HMR analysis indicated perceived stress and characteristics of drug use such as types of drugs, were the most important contributors to anxiety symptoms. Optimism (LOT-R) played a protective role in reducing anxiety symptoms in this population. Anxiety symptoms of drug users undergoing CDT were present in a significant proportion of the CDT population. Optimism is a protective factor which could attenuate the detrimental effects of perceived stress on anxiety symptoms and potentially improve treatment outcomes.