Understanding stigma through the lived experiences of people with opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND: Stigma toward substance use disorders reduces treatment seeking and recovery efforts of persons who could most benefit from services. This is particularly true for opioid use disorder (OUD) stigma, which in recent years has likely fueled the overdose epidemic. Understanding the stigma surrounding OUD and stigma reduction efforts that can be implemented are needed to enhance treatment and recovery efforts. This project explores the lived experiences of persons who were in recovery from OUD or a family member of someone with OUD with a focus on stigma. METHODS: We utilized a qualitative method to examine secondary data of published transcripts where people's (N = 30) experiences with stigma emerged through storytelling. RESULTS: Thematic analysis found three overarching types of stigma that were described by participants, 1) Social stigma: misconceptions contributing to social stigma, labeling and associative stereotypes, persistence of stigma throughout recovery; 2) Self-stigma: internalized feelings due to stigma, concealing and continuing substance use, inadequacies of navigating recovery; and 3) Structural stigma: treatment and recovery resource barriers, challenges of reintegration. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences described by participants highlight the multifaceted impact of stigma on the individual as well as society and add to our understanding of the lived experience of stigma. Future recommendations are discussed to improve the experience of individuals with lived experience of OUD; including implementing evidence-based strategies to reduce stigma such as using stigma-free or person first language, dispelling common myths, and supporting comprehensive recovery pathways.

Opioid Use Disorder Community Education Events: Rural Public Health Implications.

The opioid overdose epidemic continues to disproportionately impact underserved rural areas throughout the nation, with many of these rural areas experiencing greater opioid-related mortality rates than their urban counterparts. With limited treatment infrastructure and resources, two rural communities in Southeast Utah utilized community-based participatory research collaboration principles to develop, implement, and evaluate a series of evidence-based community opioid education events. This practical and quantitative study surveying 123 participants describes the collaborative efforts of two rural communities in addressing the devastating impacts of the opioid overdose epidemic and reflects on the success of the events via descriptive analysis of summary data. These events increased participants' reported perceptions of and knowledge in four main education areas: stigma reduction, prevention and treatment awareness, naloxone education and use, and resource location awareness. Post-event surveys further supported these results, revealing improved learning in each of these four areas, indicating increased knowledge toward opioid use disorder treatments and stigma reduction. In addition, participants identified key takeaways such as local resource awareness and dismantling stigma as effective strategies to reduce the negative effects of the opioid overdose epidemic. This model for rural community education supports previous research and serves as an effective strategy of public health practice to address the opioid overdose epidemic on a local level.

Clinician Perceptions of Incorporating Yoga into Therapeutic Practice.

Despite increased interest in mindfulness practices such as yoga as an adjunct for depression, anxiety, and other chronic health concerns, little research exists on the potential benefits of yoga in therapeutic settings. As a complementary therapy, yoga provides a value-added benefit to traditional clinical practices for (1) clinicians as a form of self-care in treating compassion fatigue caused by, for example, fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) the patients they serve. The primary goal of the present study was to understand clinician perspectives of yoga as an intervention in the therapeutic setting for clinicians and clients. We conducted a qualitative study and surveyed therapists from a yoga teacher training program designed specifically for clinical therapists. Eight therapists completed a qualitative questionnaire designed to understand the effects of yoga on clinicians and patients in the therapeutic setting. Although the effects of COVID-19 had not been anticipated, survey results corroborate high rates of compassion fatigue for therapists and a decline in mental health for patients throughout the study. Yoga, specifically body awareness and breathwork, however, provided a baseline for navigating mental health for both patients and therapists amid the pandemic. Additionally, body awareness and breathwork were found to help therapists avoid burnout and compassion fatigue and facilitate a more positive therapy experience for patients and therapists. Yoga has the potential to be a positive adjunct in therapeutic settings and would benefit from further research into various applications.