{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,28]],"date-time":"2026-07-28T09:28:48Z","timestamp":1785230928002,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,2]],"date-time":"2025-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751414400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","award":["F32 DA049440"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["F32 DA049440"]}]},{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","award":["GR200014"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GR200014"]}]},{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse","award":["K23DA053411"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K23DA053411"]}]},{"name":"The Rosenhow Pilot Research Excellence Award","award":["F32 DA049440"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["F32 DA049440"]}]},{"name":"The Rosenhow Pilot Research Excellence Award","award":["GR200014"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GR200014"]}]},{"name":"The Rosenhow Pilot Research Excellence Award","award":["K23DA053411"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K23DA053411"]}]},{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse Grant","award":["F32 DA049440"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["F32 DA049440"]}]},{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse Grant","award":["GR200014"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GR200014"]}]},{"name":"National Institute on Drug Abuse Grant","award":["K23DA053411"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["K23DA053411"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Rates of receiving opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment among adolescents and young adults (AYA) aged 16\u201325 are low. The current study qualitatively analyzed informants\u2019 perspectives regarding the availability of, developmental considerations relevant to, and barriers associated with OUD treatment for AYA. Methods: Thirty key informants involved with OUD treatment in the northeastern United States completed individual, semi-structured interviews, including treatment providers (N = 11) and clinic leaders in programs that provide medication and psychosocial treatments for AYA with OUD (N = 10), as well as opioid-related policymakers (N = 6) and patient advocates (N = 3). Interviews were transcribed and independently double coded. Template-style thematic analysis methods were used and revealed seven themes. Results: The first theme highlighted limited treatment program availability for adolescents (aged &lt; 18 years) with OUD. Four themes related to developmentally optimizing OUD treatment for AYA, describing the importance of caregiver involvement, AYA peer connections, wraparound services, and early intervention. Two themes described barriers to AYA OUD treatment, including stigma and knowledge gaps about medications for OUD as well as deficits in AYA\u2019s access to basic resources (e.g., housing, food security) that prohibit effective participation in treatment. Conclusions: Results highlight concerns from systems-level key informants regarding gaps in OUD treatment options for youth under the age of 18 and a high need for OUD treatment that is developmentally tailored to AYA. Findings point toward potential modifications and additions to existing adult treatment programs to make OUD treatment more accessible, relevant, and engaging for AYA.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12070876","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]],"date-time":"2025-07-03T04:35:52Z","timestamp":1751517352000},"page":"876","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Perspectives from Systems-Level Key Informants on Optimizing Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-3246-1174","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jasper","family":"Yeh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5535-3343","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Crosby","family":"Modrowski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"},{"name":"Bradley Hasbro Children\u2019s Research Center, 1 Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isabel","family":"Aguirre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samantha","family":"Portis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6418-6148","authenticated-orcid":false,"suffix":"Jr.","given":"Robert","family":"Miranda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"},{"name":"Bradley Hasbro Children\u2019s Research Center, 1 Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7885-4637","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melissa","family":"Pielech","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 222 Richmond Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"SAMHSA (2023). 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