Naltrexone, a medication used for the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders, has gained support from the scientific community since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994.
Naltrexone, a medication used for the treatment of alcohol and opioid use disorders, has gained support from the scientific community since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994.
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Overall, the study sought to explore counselor attitudes on addiction responsibility and naltrexone use through the use of a vignette-based survey. The authors recruited participants through an online survey and screened for trained addiction counselors who worked with persons with various substance addictions currently or in the past.
92% of participants completed a survey assessing agreement on a scale from 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) with six objections to the use of naltrexone:
Additionally, the survey assessed views about responsibility for onset of alcohol use and views about responsibility for recovery, and how these views related to the extent to which counselors agreed with these six objections.
While most counselor characteristics (e.g., gender, age, years working in substance use treatment) failed to predict agreement with the naltrexone objections, treating a higher percentage of out of pockets clients was significantly associated with greater agreement with the objection that naltrexone will treat the symptoms of alcohol addiction but will not treat the underlying causes (number 4), over and above views about responsibility.
When examining views about responsibility as predictors of objection to the naltrexone statements, the authors found that assigning more responsibility to a person for becoming addicted to alcohol or other drugs was significantly associated with stronger agreement with objections 1, 2, 4, and 6. Assigning higher responsibility to a person for recovery from their addiction was only related to stronger agreement to objection 5.
This study adds to our understanding of recovery by examining provider’s attitudes as well as the connection between their beliefs about addiction onset and offset and their attitudes toward the use of medications in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.
While assignment of greater responsibility for alcohol addiction was associated with multiple objections to the use of naltrexone, this relationship was largely driven by assigning responsibility for addiction onset rather than recovery which is consistent with the disease model of addiction.
A study in Ukranian jails found that only 25% viewed medication as an effective treatment. Another study assessing attitudes of policy makers and treatment providers in Ohio found that negative attitudes about agonist medications was a main barrier for implementing buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone) treatment. Studies such as these show that, despite the existence of evidence-based treatments, there are still implementation barriers such as negative attitudes by providers that must be addressed before they can reach their full potential.
There are two main conceptual models characterizing addiction:
With this framework in mind, this study examined if these views were related to objections to the use of naltrexone in treatment facilities. Since naltrexone uptake in clinical practice is currently low, it is important to determine how these viewpoints may ultimately impede or facilitate patient care.
In this study, assigning higher individual responsibility for addiction was associated with having more negative views about naltrexone, suggesting counselor views of addiction responsibility may impact how they choose to deliver care. For example, some counselors holding negative opinions of naltrexone may fail to discuss this treatment option. This can be particularly harmful for patients who are unaware of this medication but could benefit from its use.
Future research should focus on how negative views of naltrexone, and the exact nature of those views, might impact actual prescriptions of naltrexone. More work is needed to understand reasons for why only 18% of programs actually use it.
Additionally, information is needed on providers’ past experiences with naltrexone. If this is a pervasive issue in treatment centers, researchers may seek to develop training programs to help standardized practices with a focus on the disease model of addiction.
Johnson, R. A., Lukens, J. M., Kole, J. W., & Sisti, D. A. (2015). Views about responsibility for alcohol addiction and negative evaluations of naltrexone. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy, 10, 10. doi: 10.1186/s13011-015-0004-7
l
Overall, the study sought to explore counselor attitudes on addiction responsibility and naltrexone use through the use of a vignette-based survey. The authors recruited participants through an online survey and screened for trained addiction counselors who worked with persons with various substance addictions currently or in the past.
92% of participants completed a survey assessing agreement on a scale from 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) with six objections to the use of naltrexone:
Additionally, the survey assessed views about responsibility for onset of alcohol use and views about responsibility for recovery, and how these views related to the extent to which counselors agreed with these six objections.
While most counselor characteristics (e.g., gender, age, years working in substance use treatment) failed to predict agreement with the naltrexone objections, treating a higher percentage of out of pockets clients was significantly associated with greater agreement with the objection that naltrexone will treat the symptoms of alcohol addiction but will not treat the underlying causes (number 4), over and above views about responsibility.
When examining views about responsibility as predictors of objection to the naltrexone statements, the authors found that assigning more responsibility to a person for becoming addicted to alcohol or other drugs was significantly associated with stronger agreement with objections 1, 2, 4, and 6. Assigning higher responsibility to a person for recovery from their addiction was only related to stronger agreement to objection 5.
This study adds to our understanding of recovery by examining provider’s attitudes as well as the connection between their beliefs about addiction onset and offset and their attitudes toward the use of medications in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.
While assignment of greater responsibility for alcohol addiction was associated with multiple objections to the use of naltrexone, this relationship was largely driven by assigning responsibility for addiction onset rather than recovery which is consistent with the disease model of addiction.
A study in Ukranian jails found that only 25% viewed medication as an effective treatment. Another study assessing attitudes of policy makers and treatment providers in Ohio found that negative attitudes about agonist medications was a main barrier for implementing buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone) treatment. Studies such as these show that, despite the existence of evidence-based treatments, there are still implementation barriers such as negative attitudes by providers that must be addressed before they can reach their full potential.
There are two main conceptual models characterizing addiction:
With this framework in mind, this study examined if these views were related to objections to the use of naltrexone in treatment facilities. Since naltrexone uptake in clinical practice is currently low, it is important to determine how these viewpoints may ultimately impede or facilitate patient care.
In this study, assigning higher individual responsibility for addiction was associated with having more negative views about naltrexone, suggesting counselor views of addiction responsibility may impact how they choose to deliver care. For example, some counselors holding negative opinions of naltrexone may fail to discuss this treatment option. This can be particularly harmful for patients who are unaware of this medication but could benefit from its use.
Future research should focus on how negative views of naltrexone, and the exact nature of those views, might impact actual prescriptions of naltrexone. More work is needed to understand reasons for why only 18% of programs actually use it.
Additionally, information is needed on providers’ past experiences with naltrexone. If this is a pervasive issue in treatment centers, researchers may seek to develop training programs to help standardized practices with a focus on the disease model of addiction.
Johnson, R. A., Lukens, J. M., Kole, J. W., & Sisti, D. A. (2015). Views about responsibility for alcohol addiction and negative evaluations of naltrexone. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy, 10, 10. doi: 10.1186/s13011-015-0004-7
l
Overall, the study sought to explore counselor attitudes on addiction responsibility and naltrexone use through the use of a vignette-based survey. The authors recruited participants through an online survey and screened for trained addiction counselors who worked with persons with various substance addictions currently or in the past.
92% of participants completed a survey assessing agreement on a scale from 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) with six objections to the use of naltrexone:
Additionally, the survey assessed views about responsibility for onset of alcohol use and views about responsibility for recovery, and how these views related to the extent to which counselors agreed with these six objections.
While most counselor characteristics (e.g., gender, age, years working in substance use treatment) failed to predict agreement with the naltrexone objections, treating a higher percentage of out of pockets clients was significantly associated with greater agreement with the objection that naltrexone will treat the symptoms of alcohol addiction but will not treat the underlying causes (number 4), over and above views about responsibility.
When examining views about responsibility as predictors of objection to the naltrexone statements, the authors found that assigning more responsibility to a person for becoming addicted to alcohol or other drugs was significantly associated with stronger agreement with objections 1, 2, 4, and 6. Assigning higher responsibility to a person for recovery from their addiction was only related to stronger agreement to objection 5.
This study adds to our understanding of recovery by examining provider’s attitudes as well as the connection between their beliefs about addiction onset and offset and their attitudes toward the use of medications in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment.
While assignment of greater responsibility for alcohol addiction was associated with multiple objections to the use of naltrexone, this relationship was largely driven by assigning responsibility for addiction onset rather than recovery which is consistent with the disease model of addiction.
A study in Ukranian jails found that only 25% viewed medication as an effective treatment. Another study assessing attitudes of policy makers and treatment providers in Ohio found that negative attitudes about agonist medications was a main barrier for implementing buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone) treatment. Studies such as these show that, despite the existence of evidence-based treatments, there are still implementation barriers such as negative attitudes by providers that must be addressed before they can reach their full potential.
There are two main conceptual models characterizing addiction:
With this framework in mind, this study examined if these views were related to objections to the use of naltrexone in treatment facilities. Since naltrexone uptake in clinical practice is currently low, it is important to determine how these viewpoints may ultimately impede or facilitate patient care.
In this study, assigning higher individual responsibility for addiction was associated with having more negative views about naltrexone, suggesting counselor views of addiction responsibility may impact how they choose to deliver care. For example, some counselors holding negative opinions of naltrexone may fail to discuss this treatment option. This can be particularly harmful for patients who are unaware of this medication but could benefit from its use.
Future research should focus on how negative views of naltrexone, and the exact nature of those views, might impact actual prescriptions of naltrexone. More work is needed to understand reasons for why only 18% of programs actually use it.
Additionally, information is needed on providers’ past experiences with naltrexone. If this is a pervasive issue in treatment centers, researchers may seek to develop training programs to help standardized practices with a focus on the disease model of addiction.
Johnson, R. A., Lukens, J. M., Kole, J. W., & Sisti, D. A. (2015). Views about responsibility for alcohol addiction and negative evaluations of naltrexone. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy, 10, 10. doi: 10.1186/s13011-015-0004-7
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