Ending the Chase

Experiences of Rural Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21646232
AutoresKrista L Scorsone (0000-0003-2229-1518, Denver-Seattle Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Aurora, Colorado, USA, autor correspondente), Emily A Haozous (0000-0003-1363-1453, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA), Leslie Hayes (0000-0002-7400-9054, El Centro Family Health, Española, New Mexico, USA), K J Cox (0000-0002-7978-4172, The College of Nursing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA)
Ano2021
Volume56
Fascículo8
Páginas1224-1231
Data de publicação2021-07-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSubstance Use & Misuse (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1082-6084 • E-ISSN: 1532-2491
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10826084.2021.1914109
PMID33871309
OpenAlexW3155462450
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas39

Background The US remains in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. Given that rural populations have higher rates of opioid-related morbidity and mortality, it is important to understand the factors that perpetuate opioid use and facilitate recovery in rural communities. Purpose: To explore experiences of individuals living with opioid use disorder (OUD) and to analyze these experiences within a broader sociocultural context. Methods: Using a descriptive, qualitative design, we interviewed twenty purposefully sampled participants. We used thematic content analysis to identify themes and patterns. Results: As participants became dependent, the chase for opioids was to avoid the pain of withdrawal. Waking up sick became an everyday experience, leading to a lifestyle of hustling. The pursuit of opioids resulted in physical, social, emotional, and legal consequences that fed a cycle of stigmatization. In recovery, participants learned to embrace a new way of thinking, allowing them to make new choices. The strong influence of family and community in their lives was a key factor in their resiliency and opioid use experiences. Conclusions: Individuals with OUD are impacted by intersecting social, physical, economic and policy factors that reinforce the expansion of the opioid epidemic rurally. This study provided a voice to rural individuals with opioid use disorder, a group often underrepresented in the literature, providing an understanding of their struggles and the unique sociocultural dynamics that exist in rural northern New Mexico. The complex sociocultural relationships to family and community represent important adaptive factors that could support individual healing and community transformation

Geography · Opioid · Opioid use disorder · Qualitative research · Social environment · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Thematic analysis · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Opioid Use Disorder Treatment · Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes