dc.description.abstract |
Background: Substance use is prevalent among people with mental health
issues, and patients with psychosis are more likely to use and misuse
substances than the general population. Despite extensive research on
substance abuse among the general public in Kenya, there is a scarcity of data
comparing substance use among people with and without psychosis. This study
investigates the association between psychosis and various substances in Kenya.
Methods: This study utilized data from the Neuro-GAP Psychosis Case-Control
Study between April 2018 and December 2022. The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust
Research Programme recruited participants from various sites in Kenya, including
Kilifi County, Malindi Sub-County, Port Reitz and Coast General Provincial
Hospitals, and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, as well as affiliated sites in
Webuye, Kapenguria, Kitale, Kapsabet, and Iten Kakamega. The collected data
included sociodemographic information, substance use, and clinical diagnosis.
We used the summary measures of frequency (percentages) and median
(interquartile range) to describe the categorical and continuous data,
respectively. We examined the association between categorical variables
related to psychosis using the chi-square test. Logistic regression models were
used to assess the factors associated with the odds of substance use, considering
all relevant sociodemographic variables.
Results: We assessed a total of 4,415 cases and 3,940 controls. Except for alcohol
Background: Substance use is prevalent among people with mental health
issues, and patients with psychosis are more likely to use and misuse
substances than the general population. Despite extensive research on
substance abuse among the general public in Kenya, there is a scarcity of data
comparing substance use among people with and without psychosis. This study
investigates the association between psychosis and various substances in Kenya.
Methods: This study utilized data from the Neuro-GAP Psychosis Case-Control
Study between April 2018 and December 2022. The KEMRI-Wellcome Trust
Research Programme recruited participants from various sites in Kenya, including
Kilifi County, Malindi Sub-County, Port Reitz and Coast General Provincial
Hospitals, and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, as well as affiliated sites in
Webuye, Kapenguria, Kitale, Kapsabet, and Iten Kakamega. The collected data
included sociodemographic information, substance use, and clinical diagnosis.
We used the summary measures of frequency (percentages) and median
(interquartile range) to describe the categorical and continuous data,
respectively. We examined the association between categorical variables
related to psychosis using the chi-square test. Logistic regression models were
used to assess the factors associated with the odds of substance use, considering
all relevant sociodemographic variables.Results: We assessed a total of 4,415 cases and 3,940 controls. Except for alcohol
consumption (p-value=0.41), all forms of substance use showed statistically ignificant differences between the case and control groups. Cases had 16%
higher odds of using any substance than controls (aOR: 1.16, 95%CI: 1.05-1.28,
p=0.005). Moreover, males were 3.95 times more likely to use any substance
than females (aOR:3.95; 95%CI: 3.43-4.56). All the categories of living
arrangements were protective against substance use.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that psychotic illnesses are
associated with an increased likelihood of using various substances. These
findings are consistent with those of previous studies; however, it is crucial to
investigate further the potential for reverse causality between psychosis and
substance abuse using genetically informed methods. |
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