Hopelessness Scores and Urine Tests in Patients With Methadone Maintenance Therapy

Background: Feelings of hopelessness could be a potential sign of relapse in opiate addiction. Objectives: We investigated statistical relationship of self-reports of hopelessness by patients in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) to concurrent drug abuse. Patients and Methods: Fifty-two MMT outpatients (34 men, 18 women, mean age 33.6, SD = 9.7) completed the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) to describe how they felt within the last 7 days. Results of urine screening tests for opiates, cocaine, oxycodone, and benzodiazepines were also recorded for the last 7 days. Results: 67.3% of the patients scored within the normal BHS range (scores < 4), 21.2% within the mild category (BHS from 4 to 8), 9.6% within the moderate (BHS from 9 to 14), and one patient in the severe category (BHS > 14). On urine tests, 23.1% of the patients tested positive for opiates at least once in the last 7 days, 19.2 % for cocaine, and 17.3% for oxycodone. These three urine tests were neither significantly correlated (P > 0.05) with hopelessness scores, nor with gender or age. Only 4 patients tested positive for benzodiazepines (7.7 %). Conclusions: Mild to moderate reports of hopelessness among MMT patients were unrelated to their concurrent abuse of opiates, cocaine, and oxycodone.