Would we, could we? Measuring attitudinal and capacity barriers to supporting recovery housing residents on medication for opioid use disorder.

BACKGROUND

Recovery housing provides critical support for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD), yet residents who use medications for OUD (MOUD) often face barriers to entry and long-term support. No existing validated instruments currently assess these barriers, which can differ by MOUD type and reflect both attitudinal stigma and logistical capacity within recovery housing settings.

METHODS

We developed and tested two parallel versions (Operator and Resident) of a novel tool, the Recovery Housing Barriers to Medications for Addiction Treatment (RHB-MAT) measure. Item generation was informed by literature review and structured input from current housing operators and residents, resulting in scales addressing attitudinal barriers (for both operators and residents) and capacity barriers (for operators) and MOUD type (buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone). Surveys were administered to 145 recovery housing operators and 250 residents across the United States. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to establish dimensionality. Internal consistency, and convergent, divergent, and concurrent criterion validity were examined using established measures of stigma and related constructs.

RESULTS

Factor analyses supported a multidimensional structure, distinguishing attitudinal barriers across both groups and capacity barriers among operators. Internal consistency across scales was acceptable to strong (α = 0.74-0.92) across all but one subscale. Convergent validity was supported while divergent validity was less consistent. Concurrent criterion validity was generally demonstrated with associations between Operator RHB-MAT scores and their house's unique medication acceptance policies by MOUD type. Overall, residents evidenced higher attitudinal barrier scores than operators.

CONCLUSIONS

The RHB-MAT represents the first validated measure of MOUD-related barriers in recovery housing, with tailored versions for both operators and residents. This tool can be used in research, policy, and practical quality improvement efforts to identify and address attitudinal and capacity-related barriers that impede access to evidence-based OUD treatment in recovery residences.