Quality of Life of Psychoactive Substance Abusers: An Integrated Review and Bibliometric Analysis (2018–2021)

Abstract

Quality of life is related to one of the basic human desires, which is to live well and feel good. The scope of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of psychoactive substance users. Eleven (11) databases were searched for information sources published between 2018 and 2021 that are prospectively linked to quality of life and psychoactive substance users, using longitudinal data and predictive models. The searches yielded 102 sources, out of which seven (7) sources were retained after a thorough review of titles and abstracts for their conceptual and methodological relevance to the full-text review. Overall, this review illustrates the evidence exploring the direct effect of psychoactive substance users on quality of life and identifies seven (7) studies whose outcomes were the same effect of psychoactive substance use and quality of life, of which six studies found a significant relationship between quality of life and psychoactive substance use. One study suggested that there is worse quality of life among psychoactive substance users with low scores in SF-36 (Item Short-Form Health Survey) and poor health status considered. Remarkable evidence was available; hence, evidence is sufficient to draw the conclusion that there is no good quality of life for psychoactive substance users. In conclusion, factors that were found to be associated with use of psychoactive substances among the users were parents not living together and fathers' use of psychoactive substances, educational status, occupation, environmental factor, physical factor, psychological factor, emotional factor and socio economic status. Current research provides a true understanding of the relationship between quality of life and psychoactive substance users but a research study is needed to provide treatment and rehabilitation management of such diagnosed psychoactive substance users.