Examining human rights and mental health among women in drug abuse treatment centers in Afghanistan

Figures & data

Table 1 Participants using substances in the past 6 months and 30 days

	Past 6 month use			Past 30 day use
	n using	% using	n	n using	% using	n
Opium	117	68%	172	113	66%	172
Crystal	46	28	166	37	22	166
Heroin	11	7	168	10	6	168
Hashish	3	2	172	2	1	172
Opium, crystal, heroin, or hashish	156	91	172	151	88	172
Only other substancesa	3	2	172	3	2	172
No substance use	13	8	172	18	10	172
Total	172	100.00	172	172	100.00	172

Note:

a “Other” substances include hallucinogens, cocaine, sosigan, mandrax and heroin, other opiates, methamphetamines, other amphetamines, tranquilizers, barbiturates, other sedatives, and other substances.

Table 2 Participants experiencing human rights violations

	n experiencing	% experiencing	n
Any human rights violation	86	50%	172
Maltreatment	61	36	172
Denied food as punishment	32	19	168
Threatened with denial of food or shelter by husband/family	28	17	169
Forced to live in social isolation	17	10	170
Forced to consume drugs	32	19	168
Forced to work in poppy cultivation	9	5	172
Gender-based inequality	59	35	171
Forbidden to drive a car	22	14	159
Denied education	39	24	165
Forbidden to go out in public without a male relative	43	25	169
Abuse	7	4	172
Physical abuse	6	3	172
Sexual assault	4	2	172

Table 3 Participants’ mental health problems

	Percentages for rounded scale scoresa
	0	1	2	3	4
Social functioning (0–3)a	10%	16%	56%	19%
Suicide ideation (0–4)b	59	13	10	6	12
Suicide attempt (0–1)c	73	27

Notes:

a 1 = strongly agree, 2 = agree, 3 = disagree, 4 = strongly disagree;

a 0 = not at all/never, 1 = slightly/rarely, 2 = moderately/sometimes, 3 = quite a bit/all the time;

b 0 = not at all, 1 = slightly, 2 = moderately, 3 = quite a bit, 4 = extremely;

c 0 = no, 1 = yes.

Table 4 Individual characteristics as risk factors for human rights violations

	Gender-based inequality			Maltreatment			Abused			Any
	% without char	% with char	OR	% without char	% with char	OR	% without char	% with char	OR	% without char	% with char	OR
Age over 40 (nno = 101; nyes = 71)	37	31	0.75	46	21	0.41+	5	3	0.36	57	39	0.43+
Married (nno = 49; nyes = 123)	33	35	1.19	29	38	5.08*	0	6	2.2 E+9	45	52	2.07
Arranged marriage (nno = 37; nyes = 135)	33	35	1.51	43	33	0.63	5	4	0.07+	49	50	1.62
Ethnicity: Pashtun (nno = 122; nyes = 50)	32	40	3.41	29	52	4.33+	4	4	0.29	45	62	5.80*
Ethnicity: Tajik (nno = 136; nyes = 36)	34	36	1.28	35	36	1.87	4	3	0.30	51	47	1.56
Ethnicity: Turkmen (nno = 121; nyes = 51)	35	33	1.82	43	18	1.16	5	2	0.58	52	45	2.36
Ethnicity: Hazara (nno = 152; nyes = 20)	35	32	1.06	34	50	4.73+	3	10	5.35	49	55	2.72
Literate (nno = 157; nyes = 15)	32	60	5.71	32	67	3.75	4	7	2.2 E+7	47	80	14.74*
Some education (nno = 149; nyes = 21)	32	52	0.87	32	57	1.31	4	5	0.00	48	67	0.46
Employed (nno = 148; nyes = 24)	37	17	0.21*	34	42	0.96	4	4	0.48	51	46	0.47
Live with spouse (nno = 97; nyes = 75)	35	33	0.64	35	36	0.66	3	5	1.42	52	48	0.50+
Has children (nno = 52; nyes = 120)	37	34	1.15	35	36	0.63	4	4	0.39	50	50	0.78
Lost family due to war/conflict (nno = 150; nyes = 22)	33	48	1.51	33	50	1.69	3	9	4.22	49	55	0.97
Treatment very important because “your family wanted you to go” (nno = 64; nyes = 108)	32	36	0.95	39	33	0.45	6	3	0.52	50	50	0.75
Treatment very important because “your friends wanted you to go” (nno = 97; nyes = 75)	32	37	0.80	27	47	3.29*	5	3	0.23	44	57	1.51
Treatment very important because “you had medical/physical problems” (nno = 95; nyes = 77)	33	37	1.42	39	31	0.99	4	4	1.29	49	51	1.56
Treatment very important because “you decided for yourself” (nno = 86; nyes = 86)	26	44	3.34*	28	43	2.30+	5	3	1.60	42	58	2.91*

Notes:

* P < 0.05;

+ P < 0.10. Percent without characteristic references those not possessing the named characteristic in the far left-hand column and percent with characteristic references those possessing the named characteristic in the far left-hand column.

Abbreviation: OR, odds ratio.

Table 5 Mental health risk factors for human rights violations

	Gender-based inequality	Maltreatment	Abused	Any
n	171	172	172	172
Social functioning	1.22	2.36*	12.24*	1.72*
Suicide ideation	1.10	0.86	0.61	0.95
Suicide attempt	2.80+	5.74*	26.05*	3.99*

Note:

* P < 0.05;

+ P < 0.10.