The Relationship between Perceived Social Support and Duration of Remission in Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder

Abstract
Aim: The primary objective of this investigation is to examine the relationship between individuals' perceived levels of social support and the duration of remission among those diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OpUD).
Patients and Methods: 199 people with a diagnosis of OpUD who applied to the AMATEM outpatient clinic between August and November 2020 were included in the study. 90 people who were in remission for at least 1 year were accepted as the long remission (LR) group, and 109 people with a remission period of less than 1 year were considered as the short remission (SR) group. The sociodemographic questionnaire and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were utilized as measurement instruments.
Results: When the LR and SR groups were compared in terms of duration of the remission, no statistically significant difference was found between MSPSS scores (p>0.05). It was found that the LR group lived more in the city than the SR group (p=0.034) and used more drug treatment during the dryness period (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The administration of medication to individuals with OpUD during the abstinence phase positively influences the duration of the remission period. Additionally, it can be suggested that urban residency is associated with an extended remission duration among individuals with OpUD. Conversely, the perceived levels of social support within the sample do not exhibit a statistically significant correlation with the duration of remission.
Keywords: Opioid use disorder, perceived social support, remission, medical treatment.