people with substance use disorders, and it’s important that people who want to enter treatment have the opportunity to do so whether or not they had previously been in treatment.

One of the subpopulations of PWID that researchers looked at was people who experienced violence. The trauma from violence often resulted in more drug use, and mental health issues, which would all have long-term effects on their wellbeing. Women who experienced violence at the hands of partners also lacked social support to actively pursue treatment for a substance use disorder, researchers stated.

Researchers called the inability of this group to access treatment “particularly concerning,” since the vicious cycle of violence and drugs could be prevented if they received adequate care for their addiction.

“This study identified the need for targeted interventions for patient populations suffering severe negative consequences of their addiction as they are often the ones having a difficult time accessing treatment,” researchers stated.