EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS OF ADOLESCENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH: A QUALITATIVE STUDY WITH EDUCATORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN MACAU

ABSTRACT

THIS THESIS EXPLORES THE IMPACT OF THE EXPLORATION OF METHADONE TREATMENT PROGRAMS IN HEROIN-DEPENDENT THE PERSPECTIVE FROM USE AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO INVESTIGATE HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS THAT METHADONE WILL AFFECT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH WAS EMPLOYED, COMBINING QUANTITATIVE SURVEYS WITH QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS TO GATHER COMPREHENSIVE DATA FROM A SAMPLE OF 59 PARTICIPANTS, 8 FEMALE, AND 51 MALE, FOR THE QUESTIONNAIRE TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AND WELL-BEING. A STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS USED TO QUANTITATIVELY ASSESS PARTICIPANTS' QUALITY OF LIFE, WELL-BEING, AND SATISFACTION WITH METHADONE TREATMENT. THE SURVEY INCLUDED STANDARDIZED SCALES MEASURING VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF QUALITY OF LIFE, SUCH AS PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND OVERALL LIFE SATISFACTION. A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH WAS ADOPTED, COMBINING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF TREATMENT EFFICACY AND GENETIC INFLUENCES. IN THE COURSE OF THIS RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF METHADONE TREATMENT PROGRAMS ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HEROIN-DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS, SEVERAL KEY FINDINGS EMERGED FROM BOTH THE QUANTITATIVE SURVEYS AND QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS. TO OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF LIFE THE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER STARTING METHADONE TREATMENT. ON AVERAGE, SCORES FOR EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, SOCIAL FUNCTIONING, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH SHOWED MARKED INCREASES OVER THE TREATMENT PERIOD