This research was conducted by the PIRE Louisville, KY Center. This paper was developed in conjunction with a larger outcome study of Afghan drug abuse treatment (DAT) centers funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, United States Department of State (Dr. Knowlton Johnson, PI).

A total of 176 in-person interviews were conducted with female patients admitted to three drug abuse treatment centers in Afghanistan in 2010. Nearly all women (91%) reported limitations with social functioning. Further, 41% of the women indicated they had suicide ideation and 27% of the women had attempted suicide at least once 30 days prior to entering the DAT centers due to feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Half of the women (50%) experienced at least one human rights violation in the past year prior to entering the DAT centers. Risk factors for human rights violations among this population include marital status, ethnicity, literacy, employment status, entering treatment based on one’s own desire, limited social functioning, and suicide attempts. Conclusions stemming from the results are discussed.

The manuscript, which can be accessed here, was published in the International Journal of Women's Health.