Women in opioid maintenance treatment in Iran: Background characteristics and history of substance use and risk behaviors

Background: Most studies on addiction in Iran have focused on the men and less attention has been given to women. This study was conducted to survey the epidemiology of substance use in women under opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) in addiction treatment centers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2015. Demographic characteristic such as age, marital status, addiction initiation age, duration of use, history of high-risk behaviors, and lifetime history of suicide attempt, injection drug use, incarceration, and unsafe sex were recorded by psychologists through interviews with patients. Results: The mean age of patients was 44.31 +/- 14.83 years. The most abused drugs among participants were opium and opium sap (shireh) with 1179 cases (92.70%), followed by heroin and crack with 75 cases (5.90%). Only 4.08% of the women under OMT had a history of injection drug use. Conclusion: It seems that the demographic characteristics and history of risky behaviors in women undergoing OMT in Iran are different from studies conducted in other countries.