Decreasing the stigma surrounding alcohol use disorder

There is a paucity of data on educational interventions that prepare students to mitigate the stigma or burden of alcohol use disorder. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the impact of an interprofessional symposium on personal knowledge and stigma of alcohol use disorder and (2) inform future educational models.

The symposium highlighted the impact of alcohol at one private Midwestern university and reviewed the pharmacology of alcohol, diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder, and treatment for alcohol use disorder. Prior to and after the symposium, participants were given nine statements (two knowledge-based and seven stigma-based) about alcohol use disorder. Agreement with each statement was measuring on a five-point rating scale, and responses were collapsed into three categories: 1 = low stigma/high understanding, 2 = neutral, and 3 = high stigma/low understanding. Change between response categories before and after the symposium were analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed-ranked test (W).

A total of 87 responses were collected pre-symposium and 45 responses were collected post-symposium. Both knowledge-based statements showed an increase in individual respondent understanding of alcohol use disorder as a disease. All stigma-based statements conveyed a decrease in individual respondent stigma of alcohol use disorder as a disease. Test statistics (Z) for significant items raged between Z = 3 to 5, P < .05.

The symposium was successful at conveying positive changes in attitudes toward alcohol use disorder.