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Addressing Bias and Stigma in the Language We Use With Persons With Opioid Use Disorder: A Narrative Review
Karen Werder1, Alexa Curtis2, Stephanie Reynolds3
1Karen Werder, PhD, MSN, PMHNP-BC, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USA.
Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association
|November 18, 2021
Summary
Stigmatizing language negatively impacts treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), fostering bias and discrimination. Healthcare professionals must advocate against OUD stigma in education, practice, policy, and media.
Area of Science:
- Medical and Health Sciences
- Social Sciences
Background:
- Despite increased access to medications, less than 20% of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) receive treatment.
- Stigmatizing language is a significant barrier, potentially triggering biases that affect OUD treatment enrollment and care quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on stigmatizing language and OUD.
- To examine the impact of language on OUD treatment outcomes.
- To present strategies for reducing bias and promoting OUD treatment.
Main Methods:
- A narrative literature review was conducted from 2010-2019.
- Databases searched included CINAHL, PubMed, and PsycINFO.
- Seventeen articles were included after screening 52 for relevance to OUD, stigma, and language.
Main Results:
- Consensus indicates that stigmatizing language towards individuals with OUD promotes explicit and implicit bias, hindering treatment engagement.
- Four key themes emerged: general stigma and language, healthcare professional use of stigmatizing language, public use of stigmatizing language, and self-stigmatization by individuals with OUD.
Conclusions:
- Stigmatizing language dehumanizes individuals with OUD, contributing to bias, discrimination, and poor treatment outcomes.
- Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, must actively combat OUD stigma through advocacy in education, practice, policy, and media.
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