Sociodemographic and clinical factors of dropout from inpatient detoxification treatment in patients with opioid use disorders

Background: Completing detoxification treatment and receiving maintenance treatment are crucial for long term favorable results. However, dropout rates in addiction treatment are quite high. This study was designed to determine the rate of remaining in inpatient detoxification treatment in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with dropout from treatment, thereby providing more effective management of the treatment process. Methods: We conducted a prospective short-term follow-up study with 115 patients diagnosed with OUD and receiving inpatient treatment. Sociodemographic Data Form, SCID-I, Addiction Profile Index (API), Substance Craving Scale (SCS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were administered to the patients. Results: 44.6% of the patients dropped out of the inpatient treatment program. No significant difference was found in terms of sociodemographic characteristics between patients who dropped out and those who remained in the treatment. In terms of clinical characteristics, the rate of dropout from the treatment was significantly higher in those with comorbid psychiatric conditions, and those without regular outpatient clinic visits (p<0.05). The API "Severe Craving" subscale was significantly higher in the group that dropped out and was predictive for dropout from the treatment. Conclusions: The results of our study provided important conclusions in terms of understanding the clinical conditions and risk factors associated with dropout from inpatient detoxification treatment for OUD patients in our country. We believe that these results contribute to the evaluation and treatment processes of OUD patients to increase treatment compliance.