Evaluating the Aspects of Quality of Life in Individuals with Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review Based on the WHOQOL Questionnaire

Melania Lavinia Bratu,1– 3 Dorel Sandesc,4 Teodora Anghel,1 Raluca Tudor,5 Luai Shaaban,6 Ayesha Ali,7 Ana-Olivia Toma,8 Felix Bratosin,2,9 Izabela Turcu,10 Andrei Gantsa,11 Roxana Manuela Fericean,2,9 Mariana Bondrescu,2,12 Paula Irina Barata13,14 1Center for Neuropsychology and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Psychology, Faculty of General Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 2Doctoral School, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 3Center for Cognitive Research in Neuropsychiatric Pathology, Department of Neurosciences, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 4Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 5Second Discipline of Neurology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 6Faculty of General Medicine, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey; 7Bhaskar Medical College, Hyderabad, Telangana State, India; 8Discipline of Dermatology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 9Department of Infectious Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 10Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 11Volgograd State Medical University, Volgograd, Russia; 12Department of Psychiatry, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 13Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, “Vasile Goldis” Western University, Arad, Romania; 14Center for Research and Innovation in Precision Medicine of Respiratory Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, RomaniaCorrespondence: Raluca Tudor, Email [email protected]: Substance Use Disorder (SUD) has become a significant public health concern and it profoundly impacts an individual’s quality of life (QOL). This systematic review aimed to assess the QOL among patients with SUD, and to understand the differential impact of SUD on physical, mental, social, and environmental QOL domains, considering a variety of substances and identifying key factors that influence these outcomes. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus in January 2023, covering literature published until December 2022. The QOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument and the brief version of the WHOQOL, identifying the same four domains of QOL (physical, mental, social, and environmental). A total of 19 studies were selected for inclusion in the systematic review, based on individuals’ polysubstance use, and excluding those using only nicotine or alcohol. The analysis included 6079 patients, with only 40.3% women, and a mean age of 36.6 years. The substances most commonly involved in SUD were cocaine (47.1%), alcohol (46.3%), and amphetamine (43.6%), considering most individuals being polysubstance users. The highest variability in QOL scores was observed in the physical domain. Mental disorders were reported in 68.3% of the patients, while long-term use of drugs, criminal history, unemployment, and low levels of education were identified as significant predictors for lower QOL by some of the studies. Similarly, sleep problems and teeth decay were also identified as significant worsening factors for QOL. This systematic review highlights that the WHOQOL survey is widely accepted and applicable for individuals with SUD worldwide. The results suggest a substantial negative impact of SUD on the QOL of affected individuals. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive interventions to address the physical, psychological, social, and environmental dimensions of QOL among individuals with SUD.Keywords: quality of life, substance abuse, substance addictio

Untangling the Professional Web: Understanding the Impact of Work-Related Factors on the Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals During the Late Stages of Covid-19 Pandemic

Ruxandra Laza,1 Anca Lustrea,2 Voichita Elena Lazureanu,1 Adelina Raluca Marinescu,1 Narcisa Nicolescu,1 Alexandra Herlo,1 Talida Georgiana Cut,1,3,4 Tamara Mirela Porosnicu,3,5 Ion Papava,6 Radu Stefan Romosan,6 Ana-Maria Romosan,6 Mariana Bondrescu,3,6 Cristian Zoltan Dimeny,7 Cristina Bianca Nica-Bacaiteanu,7 Minodora Andor,8,9 Liana Dehelean6 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; 2Department of Educational Sciences, University Clinic of Therapies and Psycho-Pedagogical Counseling, West University of Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; 3Doctoral School Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; 4Center for Ethics in Human Genetic Identifications, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; 5Intensive Care Unit, Victor Babes Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases and Pneumophtisiology Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania; 6Department of Neurosciences-Psychiatry, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 7Department of Psychiatry, Timis County Emergency Clinical Hospital Pius Brinzeu, Timisoara, Romania; 8Department of Medical Semiology II, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 9Multidisciplinary Heart Research Center, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, RomaniaCorrespondence: Anca Lustrea, Department of Educational Sciences, University Clinic of Therapies and Psycho-Pedagogical Counseling, West University of Timisoara, Bd. Vasile Parvan 4, Timisoara, 300223, Romania, Email [email protected]: The COVID-19 pandemic has determined an extraordinary challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. The extraordinary circumstances, characterized by elevated stress levels, prolonged working hours, new medical procedures, media attention, and high population expectations, have created an extremely stressful situation for healthcare professionals. This period has offered a unique opportunity to examine the medical system and the responses of healthcare practitioners to stress. This research aimed to identify the work-related factors that significantly impact the mental health of healthcare professionals.Patients and Methods: Three mental health variables were assessed: anxiety, depression and stress. The work-related factors considered were professional degree, type of medical unit (COVID or non-COVID), the number of hours spent at work in a single shift, type of shifts, monthly on-call frequency, and number of COVID-19 treated patients per month. In the spring of 2022, three inventories and a demographic survey were distributed and completed online by 300 healthcare professionals from Timisoara’s public hospitals in Romania.Results: Among the respondents, 47.7% reported mild symptoms of anxiety, 65.3% reported moderate levels of stress, and 33% of the participants reported mild symptoms of depression. The intensity of anxious, depressive, and stress symptoms varied significantly depending on the professional degree, number of on-calls per month, the type of medical unit where the participants worked, and the number of SARS CoV-2 patients treated in the previous month.Conclusion: Current data underlines the urgency of implementing effective strategies to reduce the stress and anxiety of medical practitioners who work with COVID-19 patients. Possible interventions encompass a variety of approaches, such as improving working conditions, reducing working hours where possible, increasing access to mental health services, and promoting team-building activities to enhance social support among colleagues. Digital mental health interventions, including online counseling and stress management programs, have also shown promise in these challenging times. Sustaining the mental health of medical practitioners is vital to support the continued provision of first-rate care to patients and to build a resilient healthcare workforce capable of navigating future health crises.Keywords: healthcare professionals, SARS-CoV-2, stress, anxiety, depressio