The overarching factor that people who died of drug overdoses—amid a growing national crisis—had in common was trauma in some form, a report from the Ad Council Research Institute (ACRI) finds.

Conducted with guidance from Shatterproof, the report, Substance Use Disorders: Identifying how to reach, encourage and support those open to treatment (49 pages, PDF), surveyed nearly 3,000 adults ages 18-65 to help ACRI and the Ad Council determine how best to reach, encourage, and support individuals open to treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). According to the study, trauma—whether experienced as a child or as an adult or as a single event or over a lifetime—was the most prevalent factor respondents cited as the reason they started using and why they continue to use. The study also found that the most common reason respondents delayed a decision to seek treatment for substance use was a lack of finances, with 38 percent of respondents with SUD and 34 percent of those at risk of developing the disorder saying they didn't think they could afford treatment or that they doubted their insurance would cover it. Respondents who are open to treatment said they were most likely to consider mental health therapy/treatment (51 percent current SUD, 44 percent at risk) or a support group (45 percent each) if they were to decide to seek treatment.

The top motivator for pursuing treatment was to be present and healthy for their children, both among those with SUD (67 percent) and those at risk (59 percent). The next most commonly cited motivating factor was to feel better and be healthier (66 percent current SUD, 58 percent at risk).

Insights derived from the study will inform a new campaign the Ad Council plans to launch in the fall to help individuals who are at risk of developing or are currently impacted by SUD navigate resources and start their recovery.

“This study highlights the potential to change outcomes, even save lives, of those who self-identify as being open to receiving treatment,” said Derrick Feldmann, managing director of the Ad Council Research Institute and the Ad Council Edge Strategic Consultancy. “It is critical that trusted messengers, organizations, and local governments working to make a difference on the issue are equipped with the resources and messages to meet people where they are and help those most impacted to start their recovery.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Katarzyna Bialasiewicz)