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Psychological Distress Among Methadone Maintenance Patients in Vietnamese Mountainous Areas

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Abstract

We conducted a cross-sectional study in Tuyen Quang Province, a mountainous province in northern Vietnam, to examine rates of psychological distress among 241 patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Using the Kessler psychological distress Scale, we found that approximately one-fourth (26.8%) of respondents suffered from mental health pathologies. Physical health problems, current drug use, and alcohol abuse were found to be associated with mental health problems among the participants. Our findings highlight the high prevalence of psychological distress among MMT patients in northern Vietnam, and the need to integrate mental and physical health care services, as well as behavioral health counseling, into currently existing MMT clinics in this region.

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Author information

Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam

      Bach Xuan Tran & Huong Thi Le

    2. School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam

      Long Hoang Nguyen

    3. Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam

      Huong Lan Thi Nguyen & Cuong Tat Nguyen

    4. Authority of HIV/AIDS Control, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam

      Canh Dinh Hoang & Hung Van Nguyen

    5. Provincial AIDS Center, Tuyen Quang, Vietnam

      Hai Quan Le

    6. Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Vietnam-Germany Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam

      Tho Dinh Tran

    7. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

      Bach Xuan Tran & Carl A. Latkin

    8. Department of Immunology and Allergy, National Otolaryngology Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam

      Thuc Minh Thi Vu

    Author notes

    1. Long Hoang Nguyen, Bach Xuan Tran and Huong Lan Thi Nguyen have equally contributed to this work.

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      1. Long Hoang Nguyen
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      Correspondence to Huong Lan Thi Nguyen.

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      Nguyen, L.H., Tran, B.X., Nguyen, H.L.T. et al. Psychological Distress Among Methadone Maintenance Patients in Vietnamese Mountainous Areas. AIDS Behav 21, 3228–3237 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1779-5

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      • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1779-5

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