Woman with opioid use disorder and who are also involved with the criminal legal system face unique challenges and stigmas that may keep them from seeking substance use treatment and harm reduction tools that could prevent overdose deaths, according to new research led by a team from Penn State.
Penn StateAug 28 2024 Women with opioid use disorder and who are also involved with the criminal legal system face unique challenges and stigmas that may keep them from seeking substance use treatment and harm reduction tools that could prevent overdose deaths, according to new research led by a team from Penn State. Harm reduction strategies are evidence-based practices to engage people who use drugs and provide them with tools and information to reduce the risk of overdose.
"Women who use drugs are heavily stigmatized because many are also mothers. This stigma may prohibit women from seeking harm reduction programs and substance use treatment," said Abenaa Jones, the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Health and Human Development, assistant professor of human development and family studies and senior author of the paper.
Kristina Brant, Study Co-Author and Assistant Professor, Rural Sociology, Pennsylvania State University From these interviews, they also found that there's a lack of knowledge about harm reduction practices. Women may not be aware of tools like naloxone -; or Narcan, a medication that can reverse overdose from opioids -; and fentanyl testing strips, where to access them and how to use them, which severely limits their usefulness in preventing overdose.
"The women never put this blame on themselves or others who use drugs, instead telling us about the dangers of a toxic drug supply and lack of access to tolls that can help assess drug type, like fentanyl testing strips, and help people make decisions about how to reduce risk," Brant said. The study's findings will inform the design of a comprehensive intervention for women with opioid-use disorder and involved in the criminal legal system. The program integrates substance use treatment with peer support, overdose response training, access to overdose reversal drugs, and assistance with transportation, childcare and housing. Half of the women will be randomly selected to participate in a trauma support group.
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