Implementation of Community-Based Experiential Training Programs to Address Opioid Use Disorder and Other Substance Use Disorders in High Need Areas in the South

Background and Purpose: By the end of 2019, there were 70,630 drug overdose deaths in the United States and 9.5 million adults had co-occurring disorders of mental health and substance use disorder (Mattson et al., 2021; SAMHSA, 2020). There is a great need to enhance community-based experiential training for students preparing to become behavioral professionals to address these disparities. This presentation will discuss the application and results of an opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUDs) training program designed to prepare MSW students for delivering prevention, treatment, and recovery services in high need and high demand areas.

Methods: Two 3-hour trainings on OUD and SUDS were implemented with 20 MSW students. Students’ knowledge of OUD and SUDs was measured using a 10-item instrument at pre- to post-test (before/after the trainings). Nine multiple-choice questions assessed knowledge of topics covered in the trainings. An additional question assessed participants’ confidence levels in knowledge about OUD and other SUDs (1: low confidence to 5: high confidence). Forty-five percent of the sample was white, 45% was Black, 5% was multiracial, and 5% preferred not to say. Five percent of the sample identified as Hispanic, and 65% identified as female. Forty percent of the sample was first generation college students. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were conducted to determine if there were statistically significant changes in total scores on the 9 multiple-choice knowledge questions and the 1 confidence question between pre- and post-test.

Results: For Training 1, 59% of the students demonstrated an increase in their total percent of correct responses from pre- to post-test, 18% of students got the same total percent correct from pre- to post-test, and 23% of students demonstrated a decrease in their total percent correct. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that this change was not statistically significant. Eighty two percent of students indicated an increase in their confidence levels about OUD and other SUDs and 18% indicated their confidence levels stayed the same. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that this change was statistically significant (Z = -3.45, p = .00). For Training 2, 73% of the students demonstrated an increase in their total percent of correct responses from pre- to post-test, 20% of students got the same total percent correct from pre- to post-test, and 6% of students demonstrated a decrease in their total percent. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that this change was statistically significant (Z = -2.85, p = .00), indicating that overall, students’ knowledge significantly improved following the training. One hundred percent of students indicated an increase in their confidence levels about OUD and other SUDs. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that this change was statistically significant (Z = -3.54, p = .00).

Conclusions and Implications: The findings suggest positive benefits of OUD and other SUDs training and preparation programs for MSW students; therefore, the social work profession is uniquely positioned to lead the field of behavioral health in responding to the needs of clients who experience OUD and other SUDs.