High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in marked disruptions in healthcare delivery in Ukraine related to emergency guidance in response to treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Patients with OUD, a group with high levels of comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders, and prescribed opioid agonist t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1231581/full |
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| author | Samy J. Galvez Frederick L. Altice Frederick L. Altice Frederick L. Altice Anna Meteliuk Roman Ivasiy Eteri Machavariani Scott O. Farnum Tetiana Fomenko Zahedul Islam Lynn M. Madden Lynn M. Madden |
| author_facet | Samy J. Galvez Frederick L. Altice Frederick L. Altice Frederick L. Altice Anna Meteliuk Roman Ivasiy Eteri Machavariani Scott O. Farnum Tetiana Fomenko Zahedul Islam Lynn M. Madden Lynn M. Madden |
| author_sort | Samy J. Galvez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in marked disruptions in healthcare delivery in Ukraine related to emergency guidance in response to treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Patients with OUD, a group with high levels of comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders, and prescribed opioid agonist therapies (OAT) were rapidly shifted to take-home dosing if they were deemed clinically stable. The impact of these shifts on patient stress and related substance use during the pandemic, however, is unknown.MethodsIn early May 2020, 269 randomly selected OAT patients in Ukraine were surveyed to assess their stress level and substance use using the validated Perceived Stress Scale and examined correlates of severe perceived stress.ResultsOverall, 195 (72.5%) met criteria for moderate to severe levels of stress, which was independently correlated with having started OAT within the past 12 months (aOR: 1.33; 95%CI: 1.15–1.55), living in a large metropolitan area (aOR: 1.31; 95%CI: 1.18–1.46), having been asked by others to share their medication (aOR: 1.13; 95%CI: 1.02–1.25), and having an increase of over 10 min in transportation time to get to treatment (aOR: 1.16; 95%CI: 1.04–1.29). Twenty seven (10%) patients felt at high risk of relapse, while 24 (8.9%) patients reported purchasing drugs.ConclusionDuring a time of great uncertainty soon after emergency guidance to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was extraordinary high levels of perceived stress reported. In response to emergency guidance, OAT patients should be screened for perceived stress and certain subgroups should be targeted for additional psychosocial support. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:44:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-30bc0a2c93f04570bd3b5f1e1c76c34f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:44:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-30bc0a2c93f04570bd3b5f1e1c76c34f2024-01-11T13:53:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-11-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.12315811231581High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in UkraineSamy J. Galvez0Frederick L. Altice1Frederick L. Altice2Frederick L. Altice3Anna Meteliuk4Roman Ivasiy5Eteri Machavariani6Scott O. Farnum7Tetiana Fomenko8Zahedul Islam9Lynn M. Madden10Lynn M. Madden11Yale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United StatesYale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United StatesDivision of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United StatesAPT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United StatesAlliance for Public Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, UkraineYale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United StatesYale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United StatesAPT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United StatesAlliance for Public Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, UkraineAlliance for Public Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, UkraineYale School of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, New Haven, CT, United StatesAPT Foundation, New Haven, CT, United StatesBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in marked disruptions in healthcare delivery in Ukraine related to emergency guidance in response to treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Patients with OUD, a group with high levels of comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders, and prescribed opioid agonist therapies (OAT) were rapidly shifted to take-home dosing if they were deemed clinically stable. The impact of these shifts on patient stress and related substance use during the pandemic, however, is unknown.MethodsIn early May 2020, 269 randomly selected OAT patients in Ukraine were surveyed to assess their stress level and substance use using the validated Perceived Stress Scale and examined correlates of severe perceived stress.ResultsOverall, 195 (72.5%) met criteria for moderate to severe levels of stress, which was independently correlated with having started OAT within the past 12 months (aOR: 1.33; 95%CI: 1.15–1.55), living in a large metropolitan area (aOR: 1.31; 95%CI: 1.18–1.46), having been asked by others to share their medication (aOR: 1.13; 95%CI: 1.02–1.25), and having an increase of over 10 min in transportation time to get to treatment (aOR: 1.16; 95%CI: 1.04–1.29). Twenty seven (10%) patients felt at high risk of relapse, while 24 (8.9%) patients reported purchasing drugs.ConclusionDuring a time of great uncertainty soon after emergency guidance to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was extraordinary high levels of perceived stress reported. In response to emergency guidance, OAT patients should be screened for perceived stress and certain subgroups should be targeted for additional psychosocial support.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1231581/fullopioid agonist therapiesmethadonebuprenorphinestressCOVID-19Ukraine |
| spellingShingle | Samy J. Galvez Frederick L. Altice Frederick L. Altice Frederick L. Altice Anna Meteliuk Roman Ivasiy Eteri Machavariani Scott O. Farnum Tetiana Fomenko Zahedul Islam Lynn M. Madden Lynn M. Madden High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine Frontiers in Public Health opioid agonist therapies methadone buprenorphine stress COVID-19 Ukraine |
| title | High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine |
| title_full | High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine |
| title_fullStr | High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine |
| title_full_unstemmed | High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine |
| title_short | High perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine |
| title_sort | high perceived stress in patients on opioid agonist therapies during rapid transitional response to the covid 19 pandemic in ukraine |
| topic | opioid agonist therapies methadone buprenorphine stress COVID-19 Ukraine |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1231581/full |
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