“Living in a chronic state of panic”: family members’ experiences with opioid use disorder.

Families of people with opioid use disorder (OUD) often provide informal care, serving an integral supportive role in the healthcare system. Yet these family members are often overlooked as a population under strain and in need of support themselves. In this study, we examine the stress faced by family members of persons with OUD in Massachusetts, USA, through semi-structured qualitative interviews (<italic>N</italic> = 22, April–July 2018). Data revealed that family members experience shame around OUD and live in a state of overwhelming worry about opioid overdose and that this fear permeates all aspects of their lives, impacting their health, relationships, employment, and finances. Effective coping and social support mitigated some of these challenges. This study fills a gap in the research by examining the challenges distinct to supporting a loved one with OUD – largely stress and trauma related to opioid overdose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]