ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2023
Exploring trauma and wellbeing of people who use drugs after witnessing overdose: A qualitative study.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Perceptions surrounding intranasal naloxone use and access among a population experiencing homelessness.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- 'If you've ever experienced it, you'd feel differently': Exploring willingness and skepticism toward using higher dose naloxone products among people who use drugs in Maryland, United States.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Article
- The Drug Market's Impact on the Overdose Risk Environment for Women Who Use Drugs During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2026Article
- Contrasting perspectives and applications of the Good Samaritan Overdose Prevention Law: insights from people who use and distribute drugs in Rhode Island.Health & justice · 2026Article
- "You've involved us knowing that we don't think about the law like you": a qualitative study on Supersavers' perspective of overdose engagement in Skåne county, South Sweden.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Understanding the role of overdose witnesses: responses and characteristics of people who inject drugs in Oakland and San Francisco.Harm reduction journal · 2026Article
- Perceived Social Isolation and Fentanyl Use Among Adults Who Inject Drugs in Rural Kentucky.Social work in public health · 2025Article
- "I don't let anybody die on my watch": perspectives on the intersection of community overdose response and emergency medical services among people who use drugs in Seattle, WA.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- "All You Can Do is What You Know to Do": Naloxone Knowledge and Uncertainty Among People Who Use Drugs in Maryland amid a Volatile Drug Market.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
- Characterizing and responding to stimulant overdoses: Findings from a mixed methods study of people who use cocaine and other stimulants in New England.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe national overdose crisis is often quantified by overdose deaths, but understanding the traumatic impact for those who witness and respond to overdoses can help elucidate mental health needs and opportunities for intervention for this population. Many who respond to overdoses are people who use drugs. This study adds to the literature on how people who use drugs qualitatively experience trauma resulting from witnessing and responding to overdose, through the lens of the Trauma-Informed Theory of Individual Health Behavior.
methodsWe conducted 60-min semi-structured, in-depth phone interviews. Participants were recruited from six states and Washington, DC in March-April 2022. Participants included 17 individuals who witnessed overdose(s) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interview guide was shaped by theories of trauma. The codebook was developed using a priori codes from the interview guide; inductive codes were added during content analysis. Transcripts were coded using ATLAS.ti.
resultsA vast majority reported trauma from witnessing overdoses. Participants reported that the severity of trauma varied by contextual factors such as the closeness of the relationship to the person overdosing or whether the event was their first experience witnessing an overdose. Participants often described symptoms of trauma including rumination, guilt, and hypervigilance. Some reported normalization of witnessing overdoses due to how common overdoses were, while some acknowledged overdoses will never be "normal." The impacts of witnessing overdose on drug use behaviors varied from riskier substance use to increased motivation for treatment and safer drug use practices.
conclusionRecognizing the traumatic impact of witnessed overdoses is key to effectively addressing the full range of sequelae of the overdose crisis. Trauma-informed approaches should be central for service providers when they approach this subject with clients, with awareness of how normalization can reduce help-seeking behaviors and the need for psychological aftercare. We found increased motivation for behavior change after witnessing, which presents opportunity for intervention.
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