Multiple Substance Use Patterns and Its Relationship with Imprisonment in a High-Risk Group of Iranian Adults

Substance use is recognized as an important factor associated with many diseases and premature deaths and the main risk factor for disability worldwide. This study aims to identify subgroups of substance use in adults and detect the effect of imprisonment on the membership of participants in latent classes of substance use. Study Design: A cross-sectional study.

This study was performed on 930 adult people who were referred to behavioral health counseling centers in Tehran province. All participants completed some checklists and questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and latent class analysis (LCA).

Four latent classes were identified, including non-users (58%), cigarette smokers (11.6%), users of low stigma substances (27.4%), and drug users (3.1%). After adjusting for other studied variables, having a history of imprisonment increased the odds of membership in the cigarette smoker class (Odds ratio [OR]=5.82, 95%, confidence interval [CI]: 3.19-10.63) and drug user class (OR=53.59, 95% CI: 18.00- 159.52) compared to non-user class. Among all participants, 84 (9.0%) had a history of imprisonment.

Results from the present study indicate that 30.5% of the participants fell under the user of the low-stigma substance or drug user group. Focusing on increasing prisoner's knowledge of the dangers of using different substances and considering various programs for prisoners' leisure time may help reduce substance use prevalence.