Progress in the development of medications for the treatment of drug dependence will lead to little adoption if practioners and patients are not ready, willing and able to embrace medication technologies. Reports that clients and counselors resist the use of pharmacotherapy for drug abuse treatment suggest that attitudes and beliefs may be a substantial barrier to diffusion and adoptions. It is critical, therefore, to systematically investigate the cognitive determinants (attitudes, beliefs, norms, and intentions) of behaviors related to the use and non-use of medication. Four inter-related investigations are proposed to explore the attitudes, beliefs and social norms that contribute to intentions to use medications. The Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen, 1985; Ajzen &Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) provides a theoretical framework for the assessment and guides the development of persuasion messages. Four medications are examined: methadone, buprenorphine, clonidine and ibogaine. The proposal has four aims:
Aim 1. Identify the most salient beliefs related to the use of medications among clients and counselors in outpatient, methadone, and residential treatment programs and develop and instrument to assess attitudes and beliefs.
Aim 2. Assess clinical staff working in outpatient, methadone, and residential settings to determine the relative influence of attitudes and social norms on intentions to support clients use of medications for heroin treatment.
Aim 3. Survey clients in outpatient, methadone, and residential settings to determine the relative influence of attitudes and social norms on intentions to use medications as part of a heroin treatment plan.
Aim 4. Test the impact of persuasion messages on medication usage attitudes, beliefs, normative beliefs, and attentions among both clients and counselors.
| Rieckmann, Traci; Daley, Marilyn; Fuller, Bret E et al. (2007) Client and counselor attitudes toward the use of medications for treatment of opioid dependence. J Subst Abuse Treat 32:207-15 |
| Fuller, Bret E; Rieckmann, Traci R; McCarty, Dennis J et al. (2006) Elimination of methadone benefits in the Oregon Health Plan and its effects on patients. Psychiatr Serv 57:686-91 |
| McCarty, Dennis; Edmundson Jr, Eldon; Hartnett, Tim (2006) Charting a path between research and practice in alcoholism treatment. Alcohol Res Health 29:5-10 |
| McCarty, Dennis; Zammarelli, Lucy; Wylie, Hillary et al. (2005) Stakeholders in recovery: demands, expectations, and research opportunities. Sci Pract Perspect 3:34-7 |
| McCarty, Dennis; Rieckmann, Traci; Green, Carla et al. (2004) Training rural practitioners to use buprenorphine; using The Change Book to facilitate technology transfer. J Subst Abuse Treat 26:203-8 |
