Abstract
Aim:
To describe the reported sexual behaviors of opioiddependent
young adults in a Cairo psychiatric hospital,
Egypt, and examine the association between
drug consumption, sexual behaviors, and family
attitudes.
Method:
A total of 48 patientswith opioid dependency according
to DSM-IV-TR were recruited from inpatient
psychiatric attendees at a psychiatric hospital, Cairo,
Egypt. A face-to-face semistructured interview was
conducted to obtain information on detailed clinical
history, mental status, drug use history, psychosexual
history, and family attitudes from patients.
Results:
The most frequent age group at the time of presentation
of the sample was 15 to 25 years (47.9 %). The
mean age of start of drug abuse was 15.8 years
(SD=2.6; 11 to 25 y). The entire group was dependent
on opioid and 46 (95.5%) were dependent on
cannabis at the same time, and 19 (39.6%) were
dependent on alcohol. The main opioids abused by
the entire group were heroin (8, 16.7%), tramadol
(synthetic opioid) (37, 77.1%), and codeine (cough
syrup) (14, 29.2%). High rates of risky sexual behaviors
were observed, particularly in tramadol users.
They reported high rates of sexual activity over
the previous 3 months, commercial sex work, large
number of casual sex partners, and lifetime hepatitis C.
Conclusion:
These findings point to a clear need for interventions
aimed at decreasing risky sexual behaviors among
individuals with opioid dependency. |
