Table 1.
Characteristics of 20 included studies.
| Study | Country | Drug use focus | Setting | Sample size | Gender | Agea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander and McCaslin (1974) | US | Heroin | Outpatient methadone treatment | N = 101/160 | Male 65% of N = 160 | Mean 24 yrs (N = 160) |
| Anglin and Speckart (1988) | US | Narcotics (opiates) | Methadone clinics | N = 503/671 | Male 100% | Mean 20.5 yrs (at addiction) |
| Beckett and Lodge (1971) | UK | Heroin | Hospital addiction unit | N = 34 | Male 100% | Mean 20 yrs (at addiction) |
| Chambers et al. (1970) | US | Narcotics (opiates) | Hospital narcotic treatment facility | N = 168 | Female 100% | Mean 34 yrs (at admission) |
| Cushman (1974) | US | Narcotics (opiates) | Methadone clinic | N = 210/269 | Female 22% | Mean 33 yrs (at admission)/range 18–77 yrs |
| Gordon (1973) | UK | Narcotics (heroin) | Drug clinic |
N = 60 (at baseline) |
Male 100% of N = 60 (baseline) | Mean 22 yrs (SD 3.5 yrs) |
| James and D’Orban (1970) | UK | Heroin | Remand centres & women's prison | N = 116 | Male 43% | Mean 24 yrs (M): 90% <30 yrs Mean 20 yrs (F): range 16–50 yrs |
| James et al. (1979) | US | Opiates | Not reported | N = 134/268 | Female 100% | Mean 25 yrs (N = 268) |
| Jarvis and Parker (1989) | UK | Heroin | Prisons & Drug Dependency Units | N = 46 | Male 63% | Mean not reported 91% < 29 yrs |
| McGlothlin et al. (1978) | US | Narcotics (opiates) | Addict program | N = 452/690 | Male 100% | Mean 25 yrs (at admission) |
| Mott and Taylor (1974) | UK | Opiates | Psychiatric Hospitals & General Practice | N = 273 | Male 76% | Mean not reported |
| Mott (1975) | UK | Opiates | Hospital | N = 74/99 | Male 100% | Mean not reported 56% 14–20 yrs (when notified to Home Office) |
| Mott and Rathod (1976) | UK | Heroin | Community | N = 80 | Male 84% | Mean not reported |
| Nurco and DuPont (1977) | US | Narcotics (opiates) | Community | N = 252 | Male 100% | Mean not reported |
| O’Donnell (1966) | US | Narcotics b | Hospital narcotic treatment facility | N = 266 | Male 80% | Mean not reported |
| Parker and Newcombe (1987) | UK | Heroin | Community | N = 91/279 | Not reported | Mean “about 21” (total study): 93% 17–32 yrs |
| Vorenberg and Lukoff (1973) | US | Heroin | Addiction treatment facility | N = 765 | Not reported | Mean not reported |
| Weissman et al. (1974) | US | Opiates | Jail | N = 276/282 | Male 81% | Median 26 yrs |
| Weissman et al. (1976) | US | Opiates | Jail | N = 200 | Male 84% | Mean 27 yrs/range 19–56 yrs |
| Wiepert et al. (1979) | UK | Opiates | Hospital drug dependence clinics | N = 236 | Male 50% | Mean not reported |
a
SD not reported in the majority of studies
b
presumed opiates based on publications using the same sample source