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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2024, 26, 65

Lifestyle changes during first COVID-19 lockdown: a survey in patients on opioid agonist therapy and medical students in Switzerland

Francesca Mosar, Ursula S. Spitzer, Maximilian Meyer, Elisa Guggisberg, Alyssa Lüthy, Marc Walter, Marc Vogel, and Kenneth M. Dürsteler

Digital Object Identifier:
https://doi.org/10.62401/2531-4122-2024-65

Summary: Background The first Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in spring 2020 led to major changes in daily life. There is a vast body of research on populations at risk. However, patients with opioid use disorder on an opioid agonist treatment (OAT) have not extensively been studied. Methods This retrospective survey aimed to compare the experiences of OAT patients to medical students during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Switzerland. The survey focused on changes in physical activity, sexual health, substance use, and well-being. Participants were asked to retrospectively rate how their behaviours and well-being had changed during the lockdown compared to their pre-lockdown life. One hundred twenty-five patients on OAT from two specialised outpatient centres of the Psychiatric University Clinic Basel participated in a paper-and-pencil survey, and 234 medical students from the University of Basel participated in the online version. Results The median age of patients was 22.4 years higher than the students, and 68.8% of the OAT patients were male, whereas 74.4% of the medical students were female. The analysis revealed a significant difference in the use of alcohol (p=.001) but no significant differences in the use of tobacco, cannabis and other illegal substances. OAT patients rated their sexual satisfaction (p<.001) and their well-being significantly higher than the medical students (p<.001). Conclusions The first COVID-19 lockdown was associated with changes in physical activity, sexual health, concentration, and well-being in both groups. The substance use did not increase in OAT patients, suggesting a safe and effective continuum of care for the patients during the lockdown. Furthermore, this survey suggests that medical students experienced a higher lockdown-related mental health burden than OAT patients, possibly due to their younger age and their higher social needs, as OAT patients were already socially isolated before the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; lockdown; opioid agonist treatment; opioid-dependent patients; medical students; physical activity; sexual health; substance use; well-being