Family support and medication for opioid use treatment for women: a mixed methods study

ABSTRACT

Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) helps individuals safely withdraw from opioids. Though MOUD is effective, women stop using MOUD prematurely. The present study examined family relationships in relation to MOUD treatment acceptability among women. A convergent mixed methods research design was used in which 62 participants completed surveys and 23 participated in focus groups. Integrating qualitative data, convergence was found across two domains: 1) MOUD was perceived as acceptable and beneficial to recovery for the participants, and 2) Family support and desire for family services in MOUD treatment. Implications for MOUD treatment policy and future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Family support
• medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)
• opioid use disorder
• substance use
• women

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics statement

This study was reviewed and approved by the University Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure responsible conduct of human research.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by internal funding from Drexel University Dean’s Relevant Rapid Response (R3) Grant.