Women’s Motivators to Engage in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment While Enrolled in an Opioid Intervention Court

Abstract

IntroductionTo address the rising presence of opioid use disorder in the United States, states have begun to implement specialized opioid intervention courts to provide immediate support for individuals at risk of opioid overdose. The present study sought to understand the motivations of women to engage in treatment while enrolled in an opioid intervention court. MethodsWe conducted 31 in-depth, qualitative interviews with women enrolled in an opioid intervention court in Buffalo, NY, to better understand their motivation regarding opioid use treatment. The data indicated a combined social-ecological and self-determination theory framework. ResultsThematic analysis revealed four themes across the Social-Ecological Model that aligned with motivation-related needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as defined by Self-Determination Theory. Themes at each level of the Social-Ecological Model described either support for or undermining of women’s motivation for treatment: (1) individual level: personal motivation for change, (2) interpersonal level: support for OUD treatment-related autonomy, competence, and relatedness, (3) community level: court systems provide pathways to treatment, and (4) society level: insufficient social resources can undermine competence. ConclusionsThe findings provide new insights into various factors across all levels of the Social-Ecological Model that influence motivation for opioid use disorder treatment among women enrolled in opioid intervention court. Results support the possibility to integrate programs rooted in Self-Determination Theory to support opioid use disorder treatment among justice-involved persons.

Keywords:

• Drug court
• opioid use
• self-determination theory
• social-ecological model
• substance use disorder treatment
• qualitative methodology
• women

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the women who generously contributed their time and effort by participating in this study, and the staff of the Erie County Opioid Intervention Court.

Declarations of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this research was supported by the University of Rochester Center for AIDS Research (Grant P30AI078498, NIH/NIAID).