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UConn CHASM 6th Annual Conference 2022: "Telehealth and Remote Care in a Post-Pandemic World" (54)

Published on in Vol 8, No 1 (2022): Jan-Dec

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/39419, first published .
Impact of COVID-19–related Isolation on Individuals in Treatment for Substance Use

Impact of COVID-19–related Isolation on Individuals in Treatment for Substance Use

Impact of COVID-19–related Isolation on Individuals in Treatment for Substance Use

Authors of this article:

Ashlin Ripley Ondrusek1 Author Orcid Image ;   Emily Townsend2 Author Orcid Image ;   Charles Warnock2 Author Orcid Image ;   Sarah Lowe1 Author Orcid Image ;   Jessica Muilenburg2 ;   Trace Kershaw1
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States

    2College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States

    Corresponding Author:

    Ashlin Ripley Ondrusek, BA

    Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

    Yale School of Public Health

    135 College Street

    New Haven, CT, 06511

    United States

    Phone: 1 713 205 0486

    Email: ashlin.ondrusek@yale.edu


    Background: For individuals in treatment for substance use, supportive social networks are essential to protect against a return to use.

    Objective: This study aimed to explore the impact of the swift and severe isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically for individuals in treatment for substance use disorder, by exploring the relationships amongst social connectedness and isolation to treatment accessibility, mental health, and substance use.

    Methods: A total of 24 semistructured interviews were conducted from May 2020 to August 2020 with participants engaged in substance use treatment asking about the impact of the pandemic on social networks, substance use, access to treatment, and mental health. Interviews were coded and analyzed using grounded theory.

    Results: Results centered around two main themes: (1) access to support (eg, formal and informal networks) and (2) individual outcomes regarding substance use and worsened mental health.

    Conclusions: This research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted access to resources for individuals in treatment for substance use, and calls for treatment centers and governing bodies to put more resources into telehealth and alternative treatment plans in the event of major disruptions, such as national disasters and global pandemics.

    Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

    iproc 2022;8(1):e39419

    doi:10.2196/39419

    Keywords

    substance use; COVID-19; treatment accessibility 

    Edited by S Pagoto; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 09.05.22; accepted 24.06.22; published 08.07.22

    Copyright

    ©Ashlin Ripley Ondrusek, Emily Townsend, Charles Warnock, Sarah Lowe, Jessica Muilenburg, Trace Kershaw. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 08.07.2022.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.