Health-related quality of life among prescription opioid-dependent patients: Results from a multi-site study

Background Although prescription opioid use disorder has recently increased sharply in the United States, relatively little is known about the general well‐being of this population. Assessment of quality of life in patients with substance use disorders has been recommended to improve clinical care. Objectives Health‐related quality of life was examined in prescription opioid‐dependent patients at entry to a national multi‐site clinical trial, to compare quality of life scores in the study sample to other populations; further, background variables associated with quality of life in the literature were examined. Methods Prescription opioid‐dependent patients (N = 653) were compared to general populations on the Medical Outcome Study Short Form‐36 (SF‐36) quality of life measure; and the association between patient background variables and quality of life was examined. Results Compared to a general population, the current sample of prescription opioid‐dependent patients had worse physical (−1.7 points, p