Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Hedy R. Dexter

Abstract

In the past 15 years, the nonmedical use of opioids in the United States has reached epidemic proportions, resulting in a 21% increase in overdose fatalities. This surge in opioid use and dependence represents a shift in the demographic from inner-city populations over the age of 40 to young adults between the ages of 20 and 34 who dwell in primarily white suburban neighborhoods. Research has identified physicians’ liberal prescribing practices as one cause of this epidemic and has documented the ineffectiveness of current interventions with young addicts. The purpose of this narrative study was to gain insight into what contributes to young opioid users’ motivation to seek treatment, an area of research that is underrepresented in the literature. Maslow’s theory of human motivation and Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory were the theoretical bases for understanding drive states related to drug use and the relationship between motivation and treatment outcomes, respectively. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 8 opioid addicts aged 22 to 37 in treatment for opioid use disorder. Participants shared their experiences of the initiation, progression, and treatment of their disorder. Their stories revealed a motivation process different from their adult counterparts and is part of a deeply personal and solitary experience that could not be forced upon them through coercion. These findings indicate that less coercion, more realistic expectations regarding treatment readiness based on developmental norms, fostering autonomous support, and the use of medically assisted treatments may be the key to effective interventions for Millennials with opioid use disorder.

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