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High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 23, 2019
Injecting drug users: a stigmatised and stigmatising population
Lesley Simmonds1, Ross Coomber
1School of Law and Social Science, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL48AA, United Kingdom.
The International Journal on Drug Policy
|November 6, 2007
Summary
Social stigma negatively impacts injecting drug users (IDUs) and hinders harm reduction services. Reducing stigma can improve service effectiveness and decrease drug-related harms for IDUs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Addiction Studies
Background:
- Social stigma significantly affects injecting drug user (IDU) populations, both externally and internally.
- Stigma poses challenges for effective prevention and harm reduction strategies among IDUs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the impact of social stigma on injecting drug users.
- To understand how stigma operates within IDU communities.
- To identify consequences of stigma for harm reduction efforts.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative city case study within a larger national evaluation of needle exchanges in England and Wales.
- Interviews with IDUs revealed stigma as an emergent theme.
- Analysis of emergent themes related to stigma and its impact on services.
Main Results:
- IDUs' fear of being recognized as such deterred service uptake and interaction.
- 'Mainstream' IDUs stigmatized others perceived as 'worse' (e.g., homeless), despite their own risky behaviors.
- Internal and external stigma undermined the harm reduction goals of Safer Injecting Services.
Conclusions:
- Reducing stigma associated with drug use can improve service efficacy and decrease drug-related harms.
- Some IDUs attribute stigmatized behaviors to others to enhance self-esteem and avoid guilt.
- This self-enhancement strategy can inadvertently undermine harm reduction efforts.
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