Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the main characteristics of the current use of benzodiazepines and the levels of benzodiazepines (BDZs) dependency in a group of Romanian drug users who take BDZs.

A questionnaire was compiled which sought information on sociodemographic details, the type of the BDZ used, the frequency and the duration of use. The second part of the questionnaire was represented by The Benzodiazepine Dependence Question- naire (BDEPQ) - a 30-item self report questionnaire for measuring dependence on BDZ tranquillizers, sedatives and hypnotics. The respondents received the questionnaire while they came with a prescription for one or more BDZs in one of eight community pharmacies in Cluj participating of the study.

The results were subjected to appropriate statistical tests of significance including multivariate statistics (factor analysis, principal component analysis) and Rasch analysis. The results showed that, despite precautions, warnings and attempts to limit use, there remains a high proportion of long-term BDZ users, especially in the elderly population.

Keywords

benzodiazepines, dependency, questionnaire, statistics