Differences in Perceived Threat and Efficacy in Managing Opioid Use Disorder versus Alcohol Use Disorder

Background: Efforts to increase the availability of Medication Assisted Treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) may be futile if patients lack motivation for recovery and are unwilling to seek treatment. Objectives: In this cross-sectional, online survey, we used the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) to assess how participants at risk of AUD or OUD react to their perceived threat and assess their response to pharmacotherapy as a potential treatment. EPPM constructs were assessed using the Risk Based Diagnosis Scale. Descriptive statistics measure the proportion of treated vs untreated participants. Untreated participants were sorted into one of three groups categorizing perceived threat - low threat appraisal, and danger or fear control. Results: Of 411 total responses, most (n = 293[71.29%]) sorted into the AUD cohort and 118(28.71%) into the OUD cohort. Overall, 104(25.30%) had received treatment and 307(74.70%) didn't. Within the OUD cohort, there were 67 untreated participants - 16(23.88%) exhibited low threat appraisal, 13(19.40%) were likely to undergo fear control, and 38(56.72%) were likely to undergo danger control. Within the AUD cohort, there were 240 untreated participants - 75(31.25%) exhibited low threat appraisal, 100(41.67%) were likely to experience fear control, and 65(27.08%) were likely to experience danger control. Participants in the OUD cohort were more likely to undergo danger control than those in the AUD cohort (χ² = 19.26, p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study identified perceived threat and efficacy when an individual was at risk of a SUD, but more insight into potential early interventions is needed - particularly in those individuals with polysubstance use disorder.