Posttraumatic stress disorder in individuals seeking treatment for opioid use disorder in Vermont

• Published in: Preventive medicine 2021-11, Vol.152 (Pt 2), p.106817-106817, Article 106817
• Main Authors: Peck, Kelly R., Moxley-Kelly, Nathaniel, Badger, Gary J., Sigmon, Stacey C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use; Buprenorphine; Buprenorphine - therapeutic use; Humans; Interim treatment; Longitudinal Studies; Opiate Substitution Treatment; Opioid use disorder; Opioid-Related Disorders - drug therapy; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Rurality; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - drug therapy; Vermont
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106817

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) may be associated with poor outcomes in rural areas where access to mental health services and opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is limited. This study examined the characteristics associated with a history of PTSD among a sample of individuals seeking buprenorphine treatment for OUD in Vermont, the second-most rural state in the US. Participants were 89 adults with OUD who participated in one of two ongoing randomized clinical trials examining the efficacy of an interim buprenorphine dosing protocol for reducing illicit opioid use during waitlist delays to OAT. Thirty-one percent of participants reported a history of PTSD. Those who did (PTSD+; n = 28) and did not (PTSD-; n = 61) report a history of PTSD were similar on sociodemographic and drug use characteristics. However, the PTSD+ group was less likely to have received prior OUD treatment compared to the PTSD- group (p = .02) despite being more likely to have a primary care physician (p = .009) and medical insurance (p = .002). PTSD+ individuals also reported greater mental health service utilization, more severe psychiatric, medical and drug use consequences, and greater pain severity and interference vs. PTSD- individuals (ps