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Community Attitudes Toward Opioid Use Disorder and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder in a Rural Appalachian County
Author(s) -
Beachler Taylor,
Zeller T. Aaron,
Heo Moonseong,
LanzillottaRangeley Jennifer,
Litwin Alain H.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.439
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1748-0361
pISSN - 0890-765X
DOI - 10.1111/jrh.12503
Subject(s) - opioid use disorder , stigma (botany) , (+) naloxone , medicine , psychiatry , rural community , opioid , demography , sociology , receptor
Purpose To evaluate community attitudes concerning opioid use disorder (OUD) and medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in a rural community, and to plan educational initiatives to reduce stigma surrounding OUD and treatment. Methods Dissemination of a 24‐question survey to people living in a rural community followed by comparative analysis of survey results between 2 groups classified by recognition of OUD as a real illness. Findings Three hundred sixty‐one individuals responded. Overall, 69% agreed that OUD is a real illness. Respondents recognizing OUD as a real illness were less likely to agree that individuals with OUD are dangerous ( P = .014), more likely to agree that MOUD is effective ( P < .001), that individuals with OUD should have the same right to a job ( P < .001), and that naloxone should be administered for every overdose every time ( P = .002). Conclusions Significant stigma exists toward individuals with OUD in rural communities, and recognizing OUD as a real illness is associated with less stigmatizing attitudes and better understanding of MOUD. Further study should focus on how to effectively convince communities that OUD is a real illness.