Predictors of Acceptance: Exploring Healthcare-Related Master's-Level Social Workers' Attitudes on Alcohol Use Disorder, Opioid Use Disorder, and Medication-Assisted Treatment

Abstract

Heavy alcohol consumption and opioid overdose rates continue to increase in the United States (U.S.). Social workers provide approximately 70% of the behavioral healthcare in the U.S. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) combines FDA-approved medications with psychosocial interventions to provide a comprehensive approach to recovery for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). However, stigmatized attitudes toward individuals with AUD, OUD, and MAT limit MAT’s use. Guided by critical social theory, this study explores factors that predict master’s-level social workers’ (MSWs) attitudes toward AUD and OUD and, by extension, factors that predict their acceptance of MAT. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified MSWs from Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio (N = 140) having more favorable statistically significant (p < 0.001) attitudes toward individuals with AUD than those with OUD. Multiple regression models used age, gender identity, political ideology, years working in addiction (tenure), social work licensure, and 12-step facilitation beliefs to predict AUD and OUD attitudes, with AUD and OUD attitudes included in the regression models for MAT acceptance. Increased years working in addiction (tenure) was a statistically significant predictor in elevating attitudes toward individuals with AUD (p < 0.05) and OUD (p < 0.01). A more liberal political ideology (p < 0.001), increased years working in addiction (tenure) (p < 0.05), and more favorable attitudes toward individuals with AUD and OUD (p < 0.001) were statistically significant predictors in MAT acceptance. These results warrant increasing MSWs’ education on addiction and research on factors that impact their acceptance of MAT. Increasing MSWs’ education on addiction may lower stigmatized attitudes toward individuals with AUD and OUD and increase MAT acceptance. MSWs’ increased acceptance of MAT could improve patient health outcomes.