Medication Assisted Therapy and Women with Opiate Use Disorder and Children: A Study of Stigma

Abstract

Substance use disorder (SUD) is often perceived by the public as dangerous and immoral, with individuals perceived as dangerous and to blame for their diagnosis. Women with children often struggle with opiate use disorder (OUD) and face unique and additional forms of stigma due to gender biases and societal expectations. The stigmatization and discrimination can lead to dangerous consequences such as treatment avoidance and higher rates of relapse in the year post-partum. Understanding nuances of stigma and how SUDs are perceived can help reduce these outcomes. Participants (N=254) were shown a vignette about a woman who had a history of intravenous heroin use, which caused her to lose her job and ability to care for her son. She chooses to stabilize on a medication for OUD and is able to abstain from illicit substances for 3-years while regaining employment and care of her son. Participants were asked to complete several measures of stigma to assess their views toward mental health, substance use, and opiate use more specifically. These findings suggest that mental health is distinct from substance use stigma, and individuals with children are more likely to feel negatively toward women with an OUD history, even when the individual is engaged in medication assisted therapy and has actively abstained from drug use for several years. This was particularly true when these women were in a caregiving or educational setting. Stigma toward perinatal women with OUD, even when sustaining recovery, can be especially enduring due to lingering negative perceptions about their social deviance. Psychoeducation about factors involved in OUD and treatment options may counteract this prevalent negative view.