Series: Breaking the Stigma
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Series: Breaking the Stigma
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Phillips and Shaw conducted an online survey with a convenience sample of 161 adult participants aged 22 to 45. The sample was predominately female (83%) and White (84%). Each participant was assigned to read one vignette of a person with one of the following six conditions: current substance use, current smoking, current obesity, remitted substance use, remitted smoking, former obesity.
Respondents then answered questions measuring social distance including how willing study participants were to allow the individual in the vignette to do each of the following: marry into their family, be their friend, socialize with them, work on a job, be a neighbor, and have their child date them. This scale was adapted from the Bogardus Social Distance Scale which measures how closely respondents want to associate with the individual. The questions increase in terms of closeness of this association with “marry into the family” representing the strongest association (lowest score).
The authors used a summation of the social distance scores to determine level of social distance (which is how they measured stigmatization). Scores ranged from 7 to 28 with higher scores indicating higher desire to remain socially distant, and in turn, higher levels of stigma.
There were significant effects for the type of problem (i.e., substance use, smoking, or obesity) and for whether the condition was active or in remission. There was also a significant interaction between these two variables such that people with active substance use were significantly more stigmatized (i.e., received higher social distance score) than the other groups.
The groups are listed in order from most highly stigmatized to lowest level of stigma below:
While the remitted versions of all three conditions were less stigmatized than the active versions, this decrease in stigma was substantially less pronounced for individuals who use substances.
Faces & Voices of Recovery and Young People in Recovery are examples of organizations working to change public perceptions regarding addiction.
Also, one suggestion put forth by Kelly and colleagues is to remove substance abuse and abuser from our language about individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). These terms evoke perceptions of SUD as a criminal or moral issue, rather than a disorder with biological, psychological, and environmental influences. In other words, terms like substance abuse may perpetuate stigma. In line with these studies, the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors released a statement against the use of stigmatizing language in the addiction field.
Whether this bias diminishes with time in recovery or ever goes away completely is unclear. This may mean, however, that individuals in recovery from a substance related condition may face further stigma and discrimination challenges even while maintaining remission over time.
There may be a need for education of service providers to decrease stigmatizing attitudes and help avoid inadvertent treatment disparities for patients who do have substance use disorders (SUDs).
Future research should focus on developing and testing ways to minimize or eradicate negative attitudes. It is also important to ensure that people with susbtance use disorders (SUDs) are able to seek help and stay in recovery without feeling the additional burden of discrimination and stigma.
Phillips, L. A. & Shaw, A. (2012). Substance use more stigmatized than smoking and obesity. Journal of Substance Use, 18(4), 247-253. doi: 10.3109/14659891.2012.661516
l
Phillips and Shaw conducted an online survey with a convenience sample of 161 adult participants aged 22 to 45. The sample was predominately female (83%) and White (84%). Each participant was assigned to read one vignette of a person with one of the following six conditions: current substance use, current smoking, current obesity, remitted substance use, remitted smoking, former obesity.
Respondents then answered questions measuring social distance including how willing study participants were to allow the individual in the vignette to do each of the following: marry into their family, be their friend, socialize with them, work on a job, be a neighbor, and have their child date them. This scale was adapted from the Bogardus Social Distance Scale which measures how closely respondents want to associate with the individual. The questions increase in terms of closeness of this association with “marry into the family” representing the strongest association (lowest score).
The authors used a summation of the social distance scores to determine level of social distance (which is how they measured stigmatization). Scores ranged from 7 to 28 with higher scores indicating higher desire to remain socially distant, and in turn, higher levels of stigma.
There were significant effects for the type of problem (i.e., substance use, smoking, or obesity) and for whether the condition was active or in remission. There was also a significant interaction between these two variables such that people with active substance use were significantly more stigmatized (i.e., received higher social distance score) than the other groups.
The groups are listed in order from most highly stigmatized to lowest level of stigma below:
While the remitted versions of all three conditions were less stigmatized than the active versions, this decrease in stigma was substantially less pronounced for individuals who use substances.
Faces & Voices of Recovery and Young People in Recovery are examples of organizations working to change public perceptions regarding addiction.
Also, one suggestion put forth by Kelly and colleagues is to remove substance abuse and abuser from our language about individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). These terms evoke perceptions of SUD as a criminal or moral issue, rather than a disorder with biological, psychological, and environmental influences. In other words, terms like substance abuse may perpetuate stigma. In line with these studies, the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors released a statement against the use of stigmatizing language in the addiction field.
Whether this bias diminishes with time in recovery or ever goes away completely is unclear. This may mean, however, that individuals in recovery from a substance related condition may face further stigma and discrimination challenges even while maintaining remission over time.
There may be a need for education of service providers to decrease stigmatizing attitudes and help avoid inadvertent treatment disparities for patients who do have substance use disorders (SUDs).
Future research should focus on developing and testing ways to minimize or eradicate negative attitudes. It is also important to ensure that people with susbtance use disorders (SUDs) are able to seek help and stay in recovery without feeling the additional burden of discrimination and stigma.
Phillips, L. A. & Shaw, A. (2012). Substance use more stigmatized than smoking and obesity. Journal of Substance Use, 18(4), 247-253. doi: 10.3109/14659891.2012.661516
l
Phillips and Shaw conducted an online survey with a convenience sample of 161 adult participants aged 22 to 45. The sample was predominately female (83%) and White (84%). Each participant was assigned to read one vignette of a person with one of the following six conditions: current substance use, current smoking, current obesity, remitted substance use, remitted smoking, former obesity.
Respondents then answered questions measuring social distance including how willing study participants were to allow the individual in the vignette to do each of the following: marry into their family, be their friend, socialize with them, work on a job, be a neighbor, and have their child date them. This scale was adapted from the Bogardus Social Distance Scale which measures how closely respondents want to associate with the individual. The questions increase in terms of closeness of this association with “marry into the family” representing the strongest association (lowest score).
The authors used a summation of the social distance scores to determine level of social distance (which is how they measured stigmatization). Scores ranged from 7 to 28 with higher scores indicating higher desire to remain socially distant, and in turn, higher levels of stigma.
There were significant effects for the type of problem (i.e., substance use, smoking, or obesity) and for whether the condition was active or in remission. There was also a significant interaction between these two variables such that people with active substance use were significantly more stigmatized (i.e., received higher social distance score) than the other groups.
The groups are listed in order from most highly stigmatized to lowest level of stigma below:
While the remitted versions of all three conditions were less stigmatized than the active versions, this decrease in stigma was substantially less pronounced for individuals who use substances.
Faces & Voices of Recovery and Young People in Recovery are examples of organizations working to change public perceptions regarding addiction.
Also, one suggestion put forth by Kelly and colleagues is to remove substance abuse and abuser from our language about individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). These terms evoke perceptions of SUD as a criminal or moral issue, rather than a disorder with biological, psychological, and environmental influences. In other words, terms like substance abuse may perpetuate stigma. In line with these studies, the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors released a statement against the use of stigmatizing language in the addiction field.
Whether this bias diminishes with time in recovery or ever goes away completely is unclear. This may mean, however, that individuals in recovery from a substance related condition may face further stigma and discrimination challenges even while maintaining remission over time.
There may be a need for education of service providers to decrease stigmatizing attitudes and help avoid inadvertent treatment disparities for patients who do have substance use disorders (SUDs).
Future research should focus on developing and testing ways to minimize or eradicate negative attitudes. It is also important to ensure that people with susbtance use disorders (SUDs) are able to seek help and stay in recovery without feeling the additional burden of discrimination and stigma.
Phillips, L. A. & Shaw, A. (2012). Substance use more stigmatized than smoking and obesity. Journal of Substance Use, 18(4), 247-253. doi: 10.3109/14659891.2012.661516
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