Education, Employment, and America’s Opioid Epidemic

Abstract

America is embroiled in an opioid epidemic that continues to take a toll on American citizens’ quality of life, utility, and mortality rates, as well as the nation’s economy. Researchers have examined information from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) (Drug and Alcohol Services Information Systems [DASIS], 2009) in order to get an idea about which populations are able to access opioid treatment in America, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Details of education levels and employment rates for those being treated could offer answers about individuals and populations impacted by the opioid epidemic. The purpose of this study was to examine whether individuals who had been in treatment for heroin and/or opioids in 2014 have a higher level of education than individuals in treatment for heroin and/or opioids in 1998, and to determine if individuals in treatment for heroin and/or opioids in 2014 have higher rates of employment than individuals in treatment for heroin and/or opioids in 1998 (DASIS, 2009). Researchers used a T-test on the TEDS and found statistically significant changes in levels of education and static rates of employment from 1998 to 2014 (DASIS, 2009).

Keywords

• heroin
• opioid
• substance use disorder
• opioid treatment
• education
• employment