Opioid Addiction and Gender Role Conflict: A Comparative Study of Fathers Receiving Treatment for an Opioid Use Disorder.

Although the concept of gender role conflict has advanced contemporary research on the psychology of men and masculinities, there has been little exploration of gender role conflict within clinical samples of men. Consequently, variable- and person-oriented approaches to the analysis of data collected from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 224 fathers living in southern New England were used to document differences in gender role conflict when fathers with an opioid use disorder were compared with fathers living in the same community without an alcohol or drug use disorder. Analyses of covariance indicated that, after allowance for demographic characteristics, the clinical group reported significantly more concern about Restrictive Emotionality and Restrictive Affectionate Behavior Between Men. Cluster analysis indicated that there were five potentially meaningful profiles of gender role conflict among the fathers. Multinomial logistic analysis examining assignment to clusters representing more versus less concern showed that, after allowance for demographic characteristics, the odds were much greater that the fathers in the clinical group were assigned to clusters reflecting more concern about gender role conflict. The results highlight ways internalization of masculinities emphasizing constriction of emotional expression and interpersonal relations may represent risk for opioid addiction, and they illustrate how documentation of differences in masculine constructs may inform gender-sensitive parent intervention pursued with fathers in clinical and community contexts.