Psychoactive Substance use among People living with HIV/AIDS in a Tertiary Health Care Centre in South West Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: There is a wide opinion on pattern of use of psychoactive substances especially parenteral psychoactive substances which have been indicted as one of the major mode of transmission of HIV among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the western world. However, there is regional variability especially in low-income countries due to sociocultural and economic variations along with environmental specificities. This study aimed to determine the specific prevalence, pattern and psychoactive substance used is orders associated with psychoactive substances use among PLWHA in a Nigerian population. And to examine the possible impact of knowledge of HIV status on use of psychoactive substances.
Methods: This cross sectional study involved 386 PLWHA in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. The information on specific prevalence, pattern and disorders associated with psychoactive use was explored using the substance use section of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Version 7.0 while data on their sociodemographic were collected using a structured questionnaire.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.62± 9.16 years with 66.49% been females. The life time uses of psychoactive substances among the participants were: alcohol (84.8%), oral sedatives (21.03%), cannabis (3.64%), cocaine, inhalants and solvents (0.26%) while polysubstance use (alcohol, cannabis and nonprescription use of sedatives) was 0.8%. However, a combination of alcohol, cocaine and nonprescription use of sedatives was 0.3%.
Conclusion: The findings of this study show that there is high prevalence of psychoactive substance use among PLWHA in Nigeria with specific pattern different from what is obtainable in the western world. This underscores the need for policy makers to look beyond the general opinion of high use of parenteral psychoactive substances among PLWHA but to be region specific about the use of these substances in low socioeconomic countries; this will generally help in combating the cause and course of the disease.

KeyWords : HIV/AIDS, Psychoactive substances, Harmful use, South-west, Nigeria