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Stigma in substance-based and behavioural addictions: A systematic review
Christina Galanis1, Morgan Leske1, Toshitaka Hamamura2
11College of Education, Psychology & Social Work, Flinders University, Australia.
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
|January 17, 2025
Summary
Addiction stigma is prevalent and acts as a barrier to seeking help. Greater familiarity with addiction may reduce public stigma, but effective countermeasures are limited, necessitating further research.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Research
- Addiction Studies
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Stigma surrounding addictive disorders contributes to shame and reluctance to seek help.
- Public misconceptions about addiction are common.
- This review addresses the nature, prevalence, correlates, and measurement of addiction stigma.
Approach:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across major scientific databases.
- 5,515 results were screened, with 99 quantitative, peer-reviewed studies included.
- Studies focused on substance-based, behavioral, and combined addictions.
Key Points:
- Familiarity with addiction correlated with reduced public stigma in 13 of 20 studies.
- Substance-based addictions generally attracted more public stigma than behavioral addictions.
- 22-40% of individuals with addiction cited stigma as a barrier to seeking help.
Conclusions:
- Evidence for effective stigma-reduction interventions is limited.
- Further research is crucial for developing clinical and public health countermeasures.
- Understanding the prevalence and nature of addiction stigma is essential.
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