Sexual functioning of methadone maintenance patients

The relationship between the use of opiate drugs and sexual functioning has been investigated for three decades but without using a standardized measure. This research investigates and compares current sexual functioning of methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP) patients with non-patient normals, and investigates current sexual functioning among methadone patients when considering their age, race, sex, marital status, and lifetime (months) use of heroin. Subjects were from a large East Coast city and the majority were married, white, females, in their early 30s. The subjects completed the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI) between four to six weeks after their admission to a methadone treatment program. Sexual functioning was measured by using the DSFI which is a multidimensional measure (10 categories) of human sexual functioning.;The major finding from this research was that patients had significantly lower overall sexual functioning when compared to non-patient normals. Male MMTP patients had significantly (p ;Among the MMTP patients, overall sexual functioning and the number of sexual fantasies increased with age, but sexual drive decreased. No significant relationship was found between the lifetime use of heroin and sexual functioning for the MMTP research population. Among the MMTP patients, males had less sexual information, more sexual experience, greater sexual drive, more masculine identity, and more sexual fantasy than did female patients. White MMTP patients had significantly higher overall sexual functioning, more sexual knowledge, experience and drive, and greater feminine identity than did black patients. Married MMTP patients had significantly more sexual experiences and fewer sexual fantasies. This research demonstrated that MMTP patients differ from non-patient normals in sexual functioning; therefore, poor sexual functioning could be a major relapse issue.