Sex-based differences in psychiatric symptoms and opioid abstinence during buprenorphine/naloxone treatment in adolescents with opioid use disorders

Original research
by
Hammond, Christopher J. et al

Release Date

2022

Geography

USA

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

In the current study, we examined sex-based differences in psychiatric symptoms and relationships among sex, psychiatric symptoms, and opioid use outcomes in youth with OUD receiving buprenorphine/naloxone (Bup/Nal) and psychosocial treatment.

Findings/Key points

Compared to males, females with OUD had higher mean psychiatric symptom scores at baseline across broad-band and narrow-band symptom domains. The study observed significant reductions in psychiatric symptom scores in both males and females during treatment, and by week 12, females only differed from males on anxious-depressive symptom scores. Females, in general, and youth of both sexes presenting to treatment with higher anxious depression scores were less likely to have a week-12 OPU.

Design/methods

The study randomly assigned one hundred and fifty-two youth (15–21 years old) diagnosed with OUD to either 12 weeks of treatment with Bup/Nal or up to 2 weeks of Bup/Nal detoxification with both treatment arms receiving weekly drug counseling as part of a multisite clinical trial

Keywords

About PWUD
Outcomes
Illegal drugs
Youth
Substitution/OAT
Sex/Gender
Mental health