Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
This study aimed to quantify self-stigma, explore some aspects of perceived stigma, determine the factors associated with greater self-stigma and examine whether the level of self-stigma was related to a delay in seeking care.
Findings/Key points
73 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Nearly two-thirds of the patients had a “moderate to high” level of self-stigma. These patients were significantly younger at OUD onset and were significantly more likely to have at least one dependent child than patients reporting a “very low to low” level of self-stigma. Nearly half of the participants experienced perceived stigma from a healthcare professional regarding their OUD or OAT, and nearly one-third of the participants were refused care from a healthcare professional because of their OUD or OAT. Moreover, a quarter of the sample reported delaying care due to fear of being stigmatized.
Design/methods
This is a monocentric, cross-sectional study. Questionnaires were completed by participants who were outpatients of a hospital addiction medicine department with current or past opioid use disorder (OUD) who were still receiving or had received opioid agonist treatment (OAT).
