ArticleJMIR formative research2022
Informal Coping Strategies Among People Who Use Opioids During COVID-19: Thematic Analysis of Reddit Forums.
Article in JMIR formative research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Information Needs for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Using Buprenorphine Product: Qualitative Analysis of Suboxone-Focused Reddit Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Which social media platforms facilitate monitoring the opioid crisis?PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Contextualizing Changes in e-Cigarette Use During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic and Accompanying Infodemic ("So Much Contradictory Evidence"): Qualitative Document Analysis of Reddit Forums.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- The Use of Natural Language Processing Methods in Reddit to Investigate Opioid Use: Scoping Review.JMIR infodemiology · 2024Article
- Obstetrics and gynecology applicant perceptions of residency program culture with virtual interviews: a qualitative analysis of social media posts.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Investigating Substance Use via Reddit: Systematic Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Signals of increasing co-use of stimulants and opioids from online drug forum data.Harm reduction journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how people seeking to reduce opioid use access treatment services and navigate efforts to abstain from using opioids. Social distancing policies have drastically reduced access to many forms of social support, but they may have also upended some perceived barriers to reducing or abstaining from opioid use.
objectiveThis qualitative study aims to identify informal coping strategies for reducing and abstaining from opioid use among Reddit users who have posted in opioid-related subreddits at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsWe extracted data from 2 major opioid-related subreddits. Thematic data analysis was used to evaluate subreddit posts dated from March 5 to May 13, 2020, that referenced COVID-19 and opioid use, resulting in a final sample of 300 posts that were coded and analyzed.
resultsOf the 300 subreddit posts, 100 (33.3%) discussed at least 1 type of informal coping strategy. Those strategies included psychological and behavioral coping skills, adoption of healthy habits, and use of substances to manage withdrawal symptoms. In addition, 12 (4%) subreddit posts explicitly mentioned using social distancing as an opportunity for cessation of or reduction in opioid use.
conclusionsReddit discussion forums have provided a community for people to share strategies for reducing opioid use and support others during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research needs to assess the impact of COVID-19 on opioid use behaviors, especially during periods of limited treatment access and isolation, as these can inform future efforts in curbing the opioid epidemic and other substance-related harms.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.