The Impact of Social Support and Attachment Style on Quality of Life and Readiness to Change in a Sample of Individuals Receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence

ABSTRACT

Background: A basic principle within the addictions treatment field is that social support is a vital ingredient in the recovery process. This study examines the nature of social support in a sample of opioid-dependent men and women who are currently being treated in a medication-assisted treatment program (methadone). This research examines the types of social support behaviors that the opioid-dependent individuals consider helpful and explores whether attachment style (i.e., secure, ambivalent, or anxious attachment) was a determining factor in whether social support was perceived as helpful. The dependent variables included readiness to change addictive behaviors and abstinence from other mood-altering drugs. Methods: Participants (N = 159) completed a demographic questionnaire, the Significant Others Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support Assessment, the Readiness to Change Scale, and an Attachment Style Questionnaire. The demographic questionnaire included subjective ratings of self-improvement. Results: Social support predicted perceived improvement in all of the areas examined (e.g., health, family/social relationships) and abstinence; however, attachment style did not predict improvement or with readiness to change. Conclusions: Social support is an important factor in one's recovery from substance use disorders. Yet attachment style (i.e., anxious, avoidant, or secure) did not predict abstinence or overall improvement in functioning.

Keywords:

• Attachment style
• medication-assisted therapy
• methadone
• recovery
• social support

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank Angela Nikolovski, MS, LAC, of Spectrum Healthcare who was primarily responsible for data collection. We also wish to thank Jennifer Noonan, MS, who was helpful in early data coding and data analysis.

Funding

There are no funders to report. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Dr. Cavaiola and Barbara Fulmer were involved in designing the study and in drafting the manuscript. Ms. Fulmer was also responsible for data collection, data coding, and data entry. Dr. Stout was involved in statistical analysis and writing the Results and Discussion sections.