Abstract
Introduction: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of substance use disorders and associated factors among people who use drugs in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Western Province of Sri Lanka, using a respondent-driven sampling technique. Sampling was initiated with 20 seeds and peers were recruited by peers through handing out coupons. The number of recruited participants was proportional to the estimated number of people who use drugs in each district of Western Province. A total of 870 people who use drugs participated in the study. A validated Sinhala version of the Drug Abuse Screening Test was used to assess the drug use severity among the participants and a pre-tested validated questionnaire was used to collect data to assess the associated factors. RDS Analyst software version 0.64 was used to assess frequency estimates. To assess factors associated with substance use disorders multiple logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS software version 22. Results: The median age of the study sample was 39 years. The incidence of substance use disorder among the sample was 88.4%. Being employed, using heroin as a psychoactive drug, using drugs daily, using more than one drug, being a heavy alcohol user, buying drugs, stealing money or exchanging goods to get drugs, spending a substantial amount per month on drugs (Rs > 40,001), past or present medical history of tuberculosis and those who had disclosed their drug use behavior to their immediate family were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of having a substance use disorder. Conclusion: A high prevalence of substance use disorder was found in the sample with multiple economic, behavioral, and health-related risk factors.