Family Emotional Support and Outcomes for People with Opioid Use Disorder: A Systematic Review

Millions of people worldwide live with opioid use disorder (OUD). Family members of people living with OUD may decide to provide or deny emotional support, and these choices have important implications for the well-being of individuals with OUD. This study investigated the impact of family emotional support, or lack thereof, on people’ s ability to reduce their drug use and pursue sobriety. This study uses systematic review, a method that allows for the systematic collection of articles about a particular topic, even when they have diverse disciplinary backgrounds and methodologies. Eighteen studies about the impact of emotional support from family members on drug use reduction were identified from MEDLINE and Sociology Abstracts primarily, as well as Directory of Open Access Journals, ProQuest Social Sciences, and Toxicology Abstracts. These articles were then synthesized into four outcome categories: treatment adherence and retention, sobriety and abstinence, treatment seeking, and recovery. Across the studies, family emotional support was generally beneficial for reducing drug use, although people living with OUD sometimes grappled with complex feelings of guilt or pressure in their supportive interactions with family members. Strengths, limitations, and future directions for studies about family emotional support in the context of OUD are discussed.