Factors Associated With Opioid Agonist Treatment Engagement and Harm Reduction Service Use: Findings From the New South Wales Opioid Dependence Survey.
Saved in:
| Title: | Factors Associated With Opioid Agonist Treatment Engagement and Harm Reduction Service Use: Findings From the New South Wales Opioid Dependence Survey. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Santo, Thomas (AUTHOR), Bharat, Chrianna (AUTHOR), Rodgers, Craig (AUTHOR), Harrod, Mary (AUTHOR), Taylor, Sophia (AUTHOR), Zahra, Emma (AUTHOR), Sutherland, Rachel (AUTHOR), Peacock, Amy (AUTHOR), Grebely, Jason (AUTHOR), Hickman, Matthew (AUTHOR), Farrell, Michael (AUTHOR), Degenhardt, Louisa (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Drug & Alcohol Review. Mar2026, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p1-17. 17p. |
| Subjects: | Harm reduction, Opioids, Safe injection sites (Community health services), Intravenous drug abuse, Naloxone, Social stability, Opioid abuse |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia, New South Wales |
| Abstract: | Introduction: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is one of the most effective treatments for opioid dependence, but there can be barriers to accessing treatment. This study examined characteristics associated with OAT engagement—never, previous or current—among people with opioid dependence in NSW, Australia, following recent reforms to OAT access. Methods: Between October 2023 and March 2024, people with opioid dependence were recruited from services and community settings across NSW. Participants completed structured interviews on socio‐demographics, mental health disorders, substance use and use of prevention and treatment services. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between participant characteristics and engagement with OAT. Results: Of 403 participants (mean age 44; 65% male), 77% were currently receiving OAT (60% methadone, 11% sublingual buprenorphine and 27% long‐acting injectable buprenorphine), 13% previously and 9% never. Differences between OAT status groups included those currently receiving OAT reporting lower rates of homelessness and extra‐medical opioid use, and greater group therapy engagement and past‐year receipt of naloxone kits compared to those previously and never receiving OAT. Past‐month daily injecting drug use was higher among those previously and never receiving OAT; those previously receiving OAT also reported the highest rate of past‐year supervised injecting facility use and overdoses in the past 6 months. Discussion and Conclusions: Those not receiving OAT reported greater social instability, recent injecting drug use and drug‐related harm. Variation in harm reduction service use suggests tailored strategies are needed to reach those outside OAT. These findings highlight the need for integrated, diverse strategies to address dependence‐related harms. Key Point: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in New South Wales (October 2023–March 2024) with 403 people with opioid dependence recruited via needle and syringe programs, treatment services, pharmacies and online.Socio‐demographic, mental health and substance use characteristics are summarised overall and by opioid agonist treatment (OAT) status, comparing people currently (77% of cohort), previously (13%) and never (9%) receiving OAT.Compared to those currently receiving OAT, people not receiving OAT (never or previously) were more likely to be homeless, inject daily and use opioids extra‐medically (e.g., heroin, buprenorphine).Harm reduction service use was high overall, with higher naloxone uptake among those in OAT than not in OAT (59% vs. 32%), and greater use of supervised injecting facilities among those never in OAT than currently in OAT (29% vs. 22%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 192476828 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Factors Associated With Opioid Agonist Treatment Engagement and Harm Reduction Service Use: Findings From the New South Wales Opioid Dependence Survey. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Santo%2C+Thomas%22">Santo, Thomas</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bharat%2C+Chrianna%22">Bharat, Chrianna</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rodgers%2C+Craig%22">Rodgers, Craig</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Harrod%2C+Mary%22">Harrod, Mary</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Taylor%2C+Sophia%22">Taylor, Sophia</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zahra%2C+Emma%22">Zahra, Emma</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sutherland%2C+Rachel%22">Sutherland, Rachel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Peacock%2C+Amy%22">Peacock, Amy</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Grebely%2C+Jason%22">Grebely, Jason</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Hickman%2C+Matthew%22">Hickman, Matthew</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Farrell%2C+Michael%22">Farrell, Michael</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Degenhardt%2C+Louisa%22">Degenhardt, Louisa</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Drug+%26+Alcohol+Review%22">Drug & Alcohol Review</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p1-17. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Harm+reduction%22">Harm reduction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Opioids%22">Opioids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Safe+injection+sites+%28Community+health+services%29%22">Safe injection sites (Community health services)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intravenous+drug+abuse%22">Intravenous drug abuse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Naloxone%22">Naloxone</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+stability%22">Social stability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Opioid+abuse%22">Opioid abuse</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Australia%22">Australia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+South+Wales%22">New South Wales</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Introduction: Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is one of the most effective treatments for opioid dependence, but there can be barriers to accessing treatment. This study examined characteristics associated with OAT engagement—never, previous or current—among people with opioid dependence in NSW, Australia, following recent reforms to OAT access. Methods: Between October 2023 and March 2024, people with opioid dependence were recruited from services and community settings across NSW. Participants completed structured interviews on socio‐demographics, mental health disorders, substance use and use of prevention and treatment services. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between participant characteristics and engagement with OAT. Results: Of 403 participants (mean age 44; 65% male), 77% were currently receiving OAT (60% methadone, 11% sublingual buprenorphine and 27% long‐acting injectable buprenorphine), 13% previously and 9% never. Differences between OAT status groups included those currently receiving OAT reporting lower rates of homelessness and extra‐medical opioid use, and greater group therapy engagement and past‐year receipt of naloxone kits compared to those previously and never receiving OAT. Past‐month daily injecting drug use was higher among those previously and never receiving OAT; those previously receiving OAT also reported the highest rate of past‐year supervised injecting facility use and overdoses in the past 6 months. Discussion and Conclusions: Those not receiving OAT reported greater social instability, recent injecting drug use and drug‐related harm. Variation in harm reduction service use suggests tailored strategies are needed to reach those outside OAT. These findings highlight the need for integrated, diverse strategies to address dependence‐related harms. Key Point: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in New South Wales (October 2023–March 2024) with 403 people with opioid dependence recruited via needle and syringe programs, treatment services, pharmacies and online.Socio‐demographic, mental health and substance use characteristics are summarised overall and by opioid agonist treatment (OAT) status, comparing people currently (77% of cohort), previously (13%) and never (9%) receiving OAT.Compared to those currently receiving OAT, people not receiving OAT (never or previously) were more likely to be homeless, inject daily and use opioids extra‐medically (e.g., heroin, buprenorphine).Harm reduction service use was high overall, with higher naloxone uptake among those in OAT than not in OAT (59% vs. 32%), and greater use of supervised injecting facilities among those never in OAT than currently in OAT (29% vs. 22%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Drug & Alcohol Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=192476828 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/dar.70132 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Harm reduction Type: general – SubjectFull: Opioids Type: general – SubjectFull: Safe injection sites (Community health services) Type: general – SubjectFull: Intravenous drug abuse Type: general – SubjectFull: Naloxone Type: general – SubjectFull: Social stability Type: general – SubjectFull: Opioid abuse Type: general – SubjectFull: Australia Type: general – SubjectFull: New South Wales Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Factors Associated With Opioid Agonist Treatment Engagement and Harm Reduction Service Use: Findings From the New South Wales Opioid Dependence Survey. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Santo, Thomas – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Bharat, Chrianna – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rodgers, Craig – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Harrod, Mary – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Taylor, Sophia – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zahra, Emma – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sutherland, Rachel – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Peacock, Amy – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Grebely, Jason – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Hickman, Matthew – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Farrell, Michael – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Degenhardt, Louisa IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 03 Text: Mar2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 09595236 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 45 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Drug & Alcohol Review Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
