Use of Behavioral Health Treatment Among Parenting Women With Opioid Use Disorder in the United States

Objective

To examine use of mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, and perceived barriers to treatment by whether a major depressive episode occurred during the past year among parenting women with opioid use disorder.

Design

Secondary analysis of survey data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2015–2019.

Setting

United States.

Participants

Women aged 18 to 44 years with opioid use disorder and at least one child in the household.

Methods

We computed descriptive statistics for demographic characteristics, treatment by major depressive episode status, and barriers to treatment by major depressive episode status. We conducted multinomial logistic regression to examine associations among demographic characteristics, major depressive episode status, and type of treatment.

Results

Of the 36% of respondents in our weighted sample (N ≈ 254,300) who experienced major depressive episode, 35% received substance use disorder and mental health treatment, and 27% did not receive any form of treatment. We found that identification as a person of color was significantly associated with a lower relative risk of receiving any type of treatment. Frequently reported barriers to treatment included affordability, access, and stigma.

Conclusion

Respondents with opioid use disorder and co-occurring major depressive episode did not obtain necessary treatment. Barriers to treatment, including affordability, access to treatment, and stigma, need to be addressed, particularly among women of color.