Table 1: Demographic, behavioural and psychopathological characteristics of study participant in the three treatment centres (n; %)

 

 

 

Clinics

Clinic 1

Clinic 2

Clinic 3

Total

p-value

n =17

n = 30

n = 48

n = 95

 

Mean Age (SD)

21.7 (3.5)

23.2 (3.0)

23.4 (2.6)

23.0 (2.9)

0.111†

Gender Male

16 (94.1)

24 (80.0)

45 (93.8)

85 (89.5)

0.151††

Racially Classified Social Group

 

 

 

 

 

White

3 (17.7)

1 (3.3)

0

4 (4.2)

0.066††

Coloured

13 (76.5)

27 (90.0)

44 (91.7)

84 (88.4)

Indian

1 (5.9)

2 (6.7)

4 (8.3)

7 (7.4)

Religion

 

 

 

 

 

Muslim

2 (11.8)

27 (90.0)

36 (75.0)

65 (68.4)

<0.001††

Christian

15 (88.2)

3 (10.0)

11 (22.9)

29 (30.5)

None

0

0

1 (1.1)

 

Highest educational level

 

 

 

 

 

Primary school

1 (5.9)

0

2 (4.2)

3 (3.2)

0.176††

Secondary school

16 (94.1)

24 (80.0)

42 (87.5)

82 (86.3)

Tertiary

0

6 (20.0)

4 (8.3)

10 (10.5)

Referral source

 

 

 

 

 

Self

10 (58.8)

18 (60.0)

30 (62.5)

58 (61.1)

0.250††

Family

3 (17.6)

11 (36.7)

13 (27.1)

27 (28.4)

Other

4 (23.5)

1 (3.3)

5 (10.4)

10 (10.5)

Marital status

 

 

 

 

 

Never married

15 (88.2)

22 (73.3)

37 (77.1)

74 (77.9)

0.488††

Other

2 (11.8)

8 (25.7)

11 (22.9)

21 (22.1)

Living arrangements

 

 

 

 

 

Live alone

0

0

2 (4.2)

2 (2.1)

0.819††

Live with immediate family

16 (94.1)

29 (96.7)

42 (87.5)

87 (91.6)

Other

1 (5.9)

1 (3.3)

4 (8.3)

6 (6.3)

Employment status

 

 

 

 

 

Unemployed

7 (41.2)

18 (60.0)

27 (56.3)

52 (54.7)

0.186††

Casually employed

1 (5.9)

2 (6.7)

4 (8.3)

7 (7.4)

Permanently employed

7 (41.2)

7 (23.3)

17 (35.4)

31 (32.6)

Other

2 (11.8)

3 (10.0)

0

5 (5.3)

Usual employment

 

 

 

 

 

Professional

0

0

1 (2.1)

1 (1.1)

0.635††

Skilled

6 (35.3)

10 (33.3)

18 (37.5)

34 (35.8)

Unskilled

4 (23.5)

10 (33.3)

16 (33.3)

30 (31.6)

None/student/scholar

7 (41.2)

8 (26.7)

8 (16.7)

23 (24.2)

Other

0

2 (6.7)

5 (10.4)

7 (7.4)

Age of first substance use (years)

 

 

 

 

 

10 – 14

13 (76.5)

13 (43.3)

23 (47.9)

49 (51.6)

0.127†

15 – 17

3 (17.6)

11 (36.7)

18 (37.5)

32 (33.7)

18 – 20

0

5 (16.7)

7 (14.6)

12 (12.6)

21 – 24

1 (5.9)

1 (3.3)

0

2 (2.1)

Mean (SD)

13.6 (2.4)

15.1 (2.6)

14.8 (2.3)

14.7 (2.4)

First substance of use

 

 

 

 

 

Alcohol

4 (23.5)

0

3 (6.3)

7 (7.4)

0.163††

Cannabis

8 (47.1)

16 (53.3)

25 (52.1)

49 (51.6)

Ecstasy

0

5 (16.7)

4 (8.3)

9 (9.5)

Heroin

1 (5.9)

2 (6.7)

3 (6.3)

6 (6.3)

Methaqualone (mandrax)

0

2 (6.7)

0

2 (2.1)

Crystal methamphetamine (tik)

4 (23.5)

3 (10.0)

10 (20.8)

17 (17.9)

Multiple

0

2 (6.7)

3 (6.3)

5 (5.3)

Primary substance of use

 

 

 

 

<0.001††

Alcohol

3 (17.6)

0

0

3 (3.2)

Cannabis

4 (23.5)

0

1 (2.1)

5 (5.3)

Heroin

2 (11.8)

20 (66.7)

29 (60.4)

51 (53.7)

Crystal methamphetamine (tik)

7 (41.2)

8 (26.7)

17 (35.4)

32 (33.7)

Methaqualone (mandrax)

0

1 (3.3)

0

1 (1.1)

Multiple

1 (5.9)

0

1 (2.1)

2 (2.1)

Frequency of use of primary substance

 

 

 

 

0.844††

Daily

15 (88.2)

28 (93.3)

43 (89.6)

86 (90.5)

Few times a week

1 (5.9)

2 (6.7)

3 (6.3)

6 (6.3)

Sometimes

1 (5.9)

0

2 (4.2)

3 (3.2)

Intensity/Volume of primary substance use

 

 

 

 

0.509††

As much as I can obtain

11 (64.7)

14 (46.7)

31 (64.6)

56 (58.9)

As much as I can afford to buy

6 (35.3)

15 (50.0)

16 (33.3)

37 (38.9)

Other

0

1 (3.3)

1 (2.1)

2 (2.1)

Previous treatment for substance use

 

 

 

 

0.081††

None

11 (64.7)

12 (40.0)

19 (39.6)

42 (44.2)

Once in past year

3 (17.6)

2 (6.7)

8 (16.7)

13 (13.7)

More than once in past year

0

5 (16.7)

12 (25.0)

17 (17.9)

More than a year ago

3 (17.6)

11 (36.7)

9 (18.8)

23 (24.2)

Age of first treatment for substance use (years)

 

 

 

 

0.139††

 

10 – 14

1 (16.7)

2 (11.1)

0

3 (5.7)

15 – 17

0

4 (22.2)

7 (24.1)

11 (20.8)

18 – 20

5 (83.3)

7 (38.9)

13 (44.8)

25 (47.2)

21 – 24

0

3 (16.7)

9 (31.0)

12 (22.6)

>24

0

2 (11.1)

0

2 (3.8)

Mean age of first treatment for substance use (SD)

17.5 (3.3)

18.9 (3.9)

19.3 (2.6)

19 (3.1)

0.454†

Psychopathology

 

 

 

 

 

No previous diagnosis of psychopathology

15 (88.2)

29 (96.7)

47 (97.9)

91 (95.8)

0.298

Generalised anxiety disorder

3 (17.6)

1 (3.3)

1 (2.1)

5 (5.3)

0.059

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

3 (17.6)

5 (16.7)

6 (12.5)

14 (14.7)

0.065

Depression

6 (35.3)

9 (30.0)

9 (18.8)

24 (25.3)

0.291

Mania

6 (35.3)

1 (3.3)

5 (10.4)

12 (12.6)

0.007

Schizophrenia

0

2 (6.7)

0

2 (2.1)

0.128

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

2 (11.8)

1 (3.3)

1 (2.1)

4 (4.2)

0.298

Eating disorder

0

2 (6.7)

2 (4.2)

4 (4.2)

0.656

Separation anxiety

1 (5.9)

2 (6.7)

2 (4.2)

5 (5.3)

0.848

Oppositional defiant disorder

7 (41.2)

10 (33.3)

15 (31.1)

32 (33.7)

0.771

Conduct disorder

10 (58.8)

18 (60.0)

36 (75.0)

64 (67.4)

0.263

Antisocial personality disorder

14 (82.4)

26 (86.7)

43 (89.6)

83 (87.4)

0.657

Pain disorder

3 (17.7)

4 (13.3)

3 (6.3)

10 (10.5)

0.330

Specific phobia

4 (23.5)

5 (16.7)

6 (12.5)

15 (15.8)

0.565

Substance dependence

12 (70.6)

29 (96.7)

46 (95.8)

87 (91.6)

0.007

Substance abuse

4 (23.5)

5 (16.7)

6 (12.5)

15 (15.8)

0.606

†Comparisons between clinics based on Kruskal-Wallis testing for age, and on chi-squared test for other sociodemographic variables

†† Fisher’s Exact testing for expected frequencies <5