Quality of Sleep and Related Factors in Individuals Undergoing Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Poor sleep quality and its relationship with other sleep disorders and medical and psychiatric disorders have been noted in many individuals who use methadone as a maintenance treatment for drug abuse. This study aimed to investigate the quality of sleep and its related factors in people undergoing methadone maintenance treatment.

This study was conducted on 80 individuals who were undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in MMT clinics selected by the convenience sampling method. The researcher-made data collection form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale questionnaire were completed by the participants. Kendall's tau-b correlation coefficient, chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for analyses.

In the present study, 80 participants undergoing maintenance treatment (86.25% male) were studied. Most individuals (75%) had good sleep quality (average questionnaire score of 4.31). In addition, the majority of participants had anxiety (63.75%; average score of 6.2), depression (66.25%; average score of 7.45), and stress at a normal level (91.25%; average score of 6.25). Women had significantly lower sleep quality than men (P=0.009). The level of education (P=0.036) and the frequency of alcohol consumption influenced sleep quality (P=0.018). However, marital status, employment status, smoking, methamphetamine use, or use of drugs other than methadone were not significantly associated with sleep quality. The average score of sleep quality was significantly influenced by the level of anxiety (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001), and stress (P=0.008). The age of starting methadone had a weak negative but significant correlation with the sleep quality score (τ=-0.2 and P=0.01). The daily methadone dose had a weak but significant positive correlation with poorer sleep quality. (τ=0.173 and P=0.049).

Considering the significant relationship found between the severity of anxiety, depression, and stress and the quality of sleep in the participants of this study, it is recommended to screen these disorders more carefully in this group of people so that the necessary interventions can be carried out to improve their conditions. In addition, patients should be warned about consuming alcohol and increasing the daily dose of methadone.