Patterns of Substance Use Disorder in patients admitted to the Addiction Management Unit of Assiut University Hospital

Abstract Introduction Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a major public health concern globally, with unique epidemiological characteristics in different regions. This study aims to comprehensively describe the sociodemographic profile, substance use patterns, and personality traits of patients admitted for SUD treatment in Assiut University Hospital. Materials and methods A descriptive-survey design was employed at the Addiction Management Unit of Assiut University Hospital, Egypt, over one year. The study included 106 male patients with SUD, recruited via convenience sampling. Data collection utilized a custom Sociodemographic and Clinical Survey, Clinical Psychiatric Interview (DSM-5-TR), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Structured Interview for the Five-Factor Model of Personality (SIFFM), Addiction Severity Index (ASI), Urine Drug Screen (UDS), and serology testing. Statistical analysis utilized IBM-SPSS 26.0. Results The cohort had a mean age of 32.4 ± 8.3 years. predominantly rural (70.8%) and had low educational attainment (81.2%). Tobacco use was highly prevalent (89.6%). UDS revealed Amphetamines (48.1%) and Cannabinoids (45.3%) as the most detected substances, with nearly half (48.1%) being poly-substance users. Hashish use had the youngest mean age of onset (18.7 ± 4.6 years). SIFFM showed moderate scores across all five factors. ASI indicated high problem severity in drug/alcohol, psychiatric, family/social (87.7%), and employment (70.8%) domains. Conclusion The study reveals a distinct profile of young, rural, low-educated males with prevalent Amphetamine and Cannabinoid use, significant poly-substance use, and severe psychosocial impairment. These findings necessitate targeted, culturally sensitive prevention and treatment strategies for the region. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, TRN: NCT05777200, Registration date: 27 February 2023.