Identifying the Factors Influencing the Completion of Institutional Detoxification Period Among Patients with Substance Use Disorder in Iraq

Background: Substance use disorders (USD) continue to be the primary cause of disability and early death, affecting the global criminal justice, social care, health, and welfare systems. Objectives: To identify the factors influencing the acceptance of patients with USD to complete the institutional detoxification period. Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the medical records of the Al-Qanat Center for Social Rehabilitation, Baghdad, Iraq. The extraction chart was conducted from July 18 to August 26, 2024. It included patients who received mental services from SUD treatment programs during 2023. Results: The study included 470 patients with SUD. Most patients (95.5%) were male, with an average age of 26.85 years, 52.7% of them were single, 60.1% had low-income jobs, 61.1% had primary school degrees, and >73.8% completed the treatment during the hospitalization period. Addicted women were significantly less likely to complete the detoxification period compared to men. The addicted patients who were more likely to complete the hospitalization period included those with younger age, longer hospitalization periods, and shorter duration of addiction. Methamphetamine (Crystal) was the most used substance (77.7%) by the admitted patients. Conclusion: The gender disparities in treatment completion of SUD highlight the need for gender-sensitive detoxification centers that account for societal factors and encourage family and community support to improve treatment engagement and outcomes. Developing new centers across the country’s provinces is pivotal to being more accessible for such patients.