Date

11-13-2024

Department

School of Health Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)

Chair

Beth Sexton

Keywords

Suboxone, Trauma, Opiates, Abuse, MAT, OUD

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

The Opioid Epidemic has plagued the nation for decades, with little success in treating patients for long-term sobriety. Billions of dollars are spent annually treating patients with opiate use disorder, most popularly with the pharmaceutical drug, Suboxone. However, evidence and research are lacking to truly understand if the synthetic opiate medication works in treating women with OUD. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to know from the women who have been treated using Suboxone if the medication works. The participants are all women, aged 18-45 who used Suboxone for Medically Assisted Treatment for a minimum of 90 days. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s social cognitive theory which suggests that drug addiction arises from a complex interaction between an individual's personal traits, social context, and drug-related actions. The interviews collected from the participants found that Suboxone is not an effective treatment for OUD and there is a lack of education given to patients about the medication. Further research is required to understand how to properly treat such a vulnerable population to encourage long-term recovery.

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