Comparison of socio-demographic characteristics, substance, and depression among male heroin users attending therapeutic community and methadone maintenance treatment program in Nantou, Taiwan

Table 1 The sociodemographic and substance-related characteristics and psychiatric diagnoses of the sample

		MMT		TC
Continuous Variables		Mean	±SD	Mean	±SD	t	p-value
Age (years)		36.9	7.6	35.9	6.6	1.5	0.137
Education (years)		9.8	1.9	10.4	2.3	−2.9	0.004
Life events in recent one year^b		1.9	2.3	1.7	1.8	0.8	0.415
Substance criminal convictions^b		2.4	1.6	2.4	2.4	−0.4	0.695
Nonsubstance criminal convictions^b		1.3	1.4	1.2	1.4	0.7	0.495
Family APGAR[Ch] score		5.4	4.3	6.2	3.7	−2.3	0.023
Onset age of heroin use (years)		26.1	6.5	23.9	5.9	3.8	<0.001
Length of Heroin use (years)		10.8	6.0	12.1	6.2	−2.3	0.021
SDS[Ch] total score		7.0	2.7	7.2	3.1	−0.5	0.602
Dose of heroin (half qian/day)^a		6.1	5.9	7.6	7.2	−2.2	0.031
CAGE total score		1.3	1.4	1.5	1.4	−1.4	0.155
		MMT		TC
Categorical Variables		n	%	n	%	χ ²	p-value
Married		136	24.6 %	21	13.8 %	8.3	0.016
Single		275	49.7 %	83	54.6 %
Divorced, separated, or widowed		142	25.7 %	48	31.6 %
Employed	Yes	308	55.7 %	69	45.7 %	4.8	0.029
	No	245	44.3 %	82	54.3 %
Route of Heroin administration	Inhalation	138	25.0 %	36	24.2 %	0.1	0.825
	Injection	413	75.0 %	113	75.8 %
Needle sharing	Yes	59	10.7 %	9	6.0 %	3.1	0.081
	No	492	89.3 %	142	94.0 %
Major depressive disorder (1-month)	Yes	178	32.2 %	34	22.4 %	5.5	0.019
	No	375	67.8 %	118	77.6 %
Dysthymic disorder (lifetime)	Yes	40	7.2 %	9	5.9 %	0.3	0.573
	No	513	92.8 %	143	94.1 %
Suicide attempt (lifetime)	Yes	147	26.6 %	37	24.3 %	1.9	0.588
	No	406	73.4 %	115	75.7 %

ISSN: 1747-597X