The Stigma of Substance Use Disorders: A Concept Analysis

 Substance abuse disorders are a major concern in today's world, which have both emotional and physical impacts on substance abusers. A significant part of these complications is caused by marking these patients with stigma and labeling them. The analysis of the concept of stigma regarding substance abuse disorders was carried out with the aim of reaching semantic integration, reducing ambiguities and increasing stability in the application of this concept.

 This study was conducted with the aim of clarifying and analyzing the concept of the stigma of substance abuse disorders and determining its dimensions and characteristics, using the concept analysis approach of Walker and Avant in 2022.

Ethical Considerations:

 In the current research, the ethical aspects of the review study, including the originality of the texts, honesty and trustworthiness, have been observed.

 After analyzing the studies, the characteristics of the multi-dimensional psycho-social process were obtained: Pervasiveness in different areas of life, rapid spread in the society, being based on the socio-cultural context, dependence on the type and the quantity of substance consumption and being chronic.

 In this conceptual study, a comprehensive definition of the stigma of substance abuse disorders, along with antecedents, characteristics and consequences, was achieved through the process of conceptual analysis. The investigation of the findings eventually led to model, borderline and contrary cases. The presented definition, which is also supported by the literature, claims that the stigma of substance abuse disorders is a chronic, multidimensional psycho-social process, which is pervasive in different areas of the affected individual's life, along with rapid spread in the society. Moreover, it is based on the socio-cultural context and depends on the type and the quantity of substance consumption. The unfair and criminalizing practices of healthcare and non-healthcare organizations, the social beliefs regarding the undesirable identity of the affected individual, people's ignorance, the relatives’ lack of personal experience in dealing with the substance abuser, the socioeconomic power gap between the stigmatizer and the affected individual and demographic characteristics trigger stigmatization. Stigmatization leads to comprehensive vulnerability of the stigmatized individual’s credibility and health in different aspects: personal, functional, family, social, cultural, economic and political. This definition as well as its antecedents, consequences and empirical references can be a basis for a more comprehensive perception and future applied studies.