Somebody to Lean on: Understanding Self-Stigma and Willingness to Disclose in the Context of Addiction

Qing Ma, Christopher R. Whipple, Övgü Kaynak (), Erica Saylor and Weston S. Kensinger
Additional contact information
Qing Ma: School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University, Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA
Christopher R. Whipple: School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University, Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA
Övgü Kaynak: School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University, Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA
Erica Saylor: School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University, Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA
Weston S. Kensinger: School of Behavioral Sciences and Education, Penn State University, Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 8, 1-12

Abstract: Substance use self-stigma is a barrier to treatment and can negatively impact individuals’ well-being and treatment engagement. Given the mixed findings in previous research and the limited specific investigation into the concept of self-stigma within the context of opioid misuse, examining factors associated with self-stigma in the context of opioid use disorder (OUD) is warranted. The current study examines the influence of individual-level factors (race, sex, urban/rural status, support group attendance) on self-stigma and willingness to disclose opioid use. Data for this study were from a larger study of OUD-related stigma among adults in Pennsylvania, U.S. The current study included participants who indicated a personal past or current history with OUD were included ( n = 84). Exploratory factor analysis and multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) model were used to explore the associations between demographic factors (i.e., sex, age, race/ethnicity, urban/rural status), attendance at mutual support groups, and self-stigma factors. Results indicated that sex and attendance at mutual support groups significantly predicted levels of self-stigma. Women and individuals with no previous experience attending mutual support groups endorsed lower levels of self-stigma. Additionally, attendance at mutual support groups predicted willingness to self-disclose past and present opioid use. Individuals who reported no history of attending mutual support groups demonstrated less willingness to disclose past and present OUD use compared to participants who were support group attendees. The current research findings enhance the understanding of OUD-related self-stigma by examining its relationship with individual-level factors, disclosure, and attendance to mutual support groups. The results offer insights into the influence of sex and support group attendance on self-stigma and disclosure. These findings have significant clinical implications for developing future interventions and promoting health policy changes.

Keywords: opioid use disorder; self-stigma; mutual support group; disclosure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/8/1044/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/8/1044/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:8:p:1044-:d:1452456

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().