Patterns of death in a methadone -maintained veterans population.
Item
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Title
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Patterns of death in a methadone -maintained veterans population.
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Identifier
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AAI9510697
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identifier
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9510697
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Creator
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Norman, Reuben Lamar, Jr.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Bogdan Denitch
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Date
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1994
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology | Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies | Sociology, Public and Social Welfare
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Abstract
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In the period 1981 through 1982, Thomas M. Smith studied a group of military veterans who were patients in a methadone maintenance clinic for heroin addicts in a large metropolitan area. The purpose of the study was to examine multiple drug use characteristics of persons who remained in long term treatment for a period of two years. However, by mid-1992 thirty-four of the original ninety-one subjects had died: an astonishingly high rate of mortality, even for heroin addicts. Among the dead were thirteen who had died from reasons of health, ten of AIDS, seven from alcoholism and four from various forms of violence.;Using the original data collected by Smith, and adding subsequent records for reasons of death, a secondary analysis on this longitudinal dataset was run in order to reveal the factors associated with mortality. Cluster analysis revealed strong three types based upon narcotic use, pill use or low use of most drugs. Overall, almost half of the high heroin and cocaine users, one third of the high pill users and a quarter of the low users were dead by mid-1992.;While it has been known for several years that AIDS is spread by IV drug use, it has not been known who among IV drug using population is most at risk. Logistic regression revealed that those users who had relapsed in their use of methadone were more likely to have died, especially of AIDS. The negative methadone presence was an indicator that the patient had been engaged in narcotic use again.;Almost half of the sixty percent of the veterans with health problems were dead. Mortality was greatest for blacks, followed by Hispanics then whites. Over half of the twenty-one alcoholics were dead. Those who started heroin use at an older age were more likely to have died than those who started younger. Heavy pill usage was as associated with AIDS deaths as was frequent narcotic use.*.;*Originally published in DAI Vol. 55, No. 11. Reprinted here with corrected author name.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
