The relationships among depression, withdrawal symptoms and compulsion among heroin abuser with methadone replacement treatment in Taiwan | Kun-Hua Lee | National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan |

National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan

Introduction: Literature indicated depression could be a signifi cant predictor of withdrawal symptoms. Th en, people could

compulsively seek and use more heroins in order to improve withdrawal symptoms. Despite evidence proved these relationships

among depression, withdrawal symptoms and compulsion on heroin abusers, little study proposed hypothesized model and

comprehensively examined the relationships among these factors. Furthermore, the present study proposed a hypothesized model

of depression, withdrawal symptoms and compulsion (DWC model) and examined the hypothesized model by heroin abusers with

methadone replacement treatment.

Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the hypothesized model. Two hundred and thirty fi ve participants were

recruited from the inpatient of methadone replacement treatment in Southern Taiwan. Aft er informed consent, all participants were

asked to complete the questionnaires in terms of depression, compulsion to use heroin, the severity of withdrawal symptoms and

daily consumption of heroin use. Descriptive analyses were to present the distributions of demographic variables. Structural Equation

Modeling (SEM) was to examine the model-of-fi tness indices of the DWC model. Th e signifi cant level was at 0.5.

Results: Our results found full DWC model showed good model-of-fi tness indices (X2=1.61; df=48, p<0.05; CFI=0.98; RMSEA=0.05).

However, the relationship between depression and use of heroin did not reach signifi cant level. Aft er deleting insignifi cant relationship,

the reduced DWC model showed proper model-of-fi tness indices (X2=1.68; df=50, p<0.05; CFI=0.97; RMSEA=0.05). Th rough Sobel

Test, compulsion to use not only played as mediated role between depression and use of heroin, but also mediated the relationship

between withdrawal symptoms and use of heroin.

Discussion: Despite depression and withdrawal symptoms are signifi cant predictors of use of heroin, compulsion to use plays as a

crucial role for taking heroin. Moreover, the patients with heroin use disorder could be treated to decrease consumption of heroin in

terms of behavioral modifi cation on compulsively drug taking, for example, mindfulness-based training. By mean of mindfulnessbased

training, people with heroin use disorders could be taught to non-judgmentally and objectively accept the urge of compulsively

taking drugs. Further study could pay more attention on the eff ectiveness of mindfulness-based training on heroin use disorder.

Dual Diagnosis