Date of Conferral
2021
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Lindy L. Lewis
Abstract
Over the last decade, opioid misuse has emerged as a major problem in the United States. The extreme increase in overdose deaths affects both public health and social welfare in north central Florida. Social workers play a major role in the delivery of treatment for opioid misuse. Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder has become widely used yet faces debate among social workers. The practice-focused research question for this project addressed the attitudes of social workers toward the use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. Social learning theory was the theoretical framework used in this action research study. Data were collected in two focus groups from five agency-based master’s degree level social workers and two private practice master’s degree level social workers currently practicing in north central Florida with a familiarity of substance use disorders and medication-assisted treatment. Thematic analysis was used to explore and organize the data. Three themes emerged from the data that influence social workers’ attitudes toward medication-assisted treatment: (a) perceptions of addiction, (b) social work education, and (c) access to care. Possible implications for positive social change include the results of this study having the potential to help social workers discover personal bias toward medication-assisted treatment; increase substance abuse education in social work curricula; generate social work advocacy for local, state, and national policy reform to increase access to medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder; and improve direct patient care.
Recommended Citation
Spivey, William Tillman, "Social Workers’ Attitudes Toward Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder" (2021). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 10546.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/10546
